Old Names and New Faces
by OrigamiArrows
Summary: After magic is discovered in Alice's world of science and war, things go terribly wrong when someone uses it. She is separated from her younger brother and needs to find him quickly before their time runs out. But when she goes to the one woman that can help her, Alice finds she'll have to deal with the last thing she wanted; traveling companions. (Under revisions, 6/12/17)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So there are a few things I should say before you get started on reading this, which I'm assuming your going to do if your seeing this. I'll try to keep this short and to the point.

First and most important, this story has an **OC** , and for the love of god she is **not paired with Fai (or anyone)** and she's **not a mary-sue**. And I mean it when I say that she isn't. None of that "there for emotional support only" stuff. She's smart, has flaws, will be fighting the baddies and won't immediately make friends with all our favorite characters. Not to say she's mean, but she's not a delicate flower or worried hormonal teenager. Also, this follows the **manga**.

(Edit 7/13/16) This chapter was edited, if the next one doesn't have a similar notice, you will be reading the version I will be replacing. Nothing huge should change but the edited version will be better.

Lastly **THANK YOU** for clicking in here and at least giving this a glance. I hope you enjoy.

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My breath came in gasps but my boots fell sure against the pavement. I ran through unfamiliar streets and a shifting series of startled faces, hoping I was headed in the right direction.

The houses were close together, and the clouds hung low and dark. The people I passed glanced at me in surprise before I left them behind me. Occasionally, I would bump into them, but I didn't slow down.

I wasn't sure how I knew where to go. Every time I tried to think about the information's source, my mind slid to another subject. Right now, that meant my new scrapes and burns from the explosion back at the facility. They were painful but not life threatening. The System was already getting to work; my injuries would be healed within the day.

I struggled to grasp the last few hours. Adrian had done something with the power source he'd acquired, but it caused an explosion. I'd been sent flying and landed ten feet away… but somehow in another city. Another world. When I'd gotten here, I had…

What had I done? I couldn't remember, but I knew the way to finding my brother was down this street.

I turned without slowing and found myself sprinting alongside a wooden fence. When I came to a gap in the boards, I stopped, knowing this was the place I'd been looking for. I stepped through the opening, ready for a fight. I didn't know what to expect, only that something here could help me find my brother.

I hadn't expected a courtyard of oddly dressed people. The closest one was a looming fighter with harsh features, red eyes, and short black hair.

The next person was nearly the opposite of the first. He had blonde hair, soft features and blue eyes. He held himself like the ground was glass, as he turned to see me his steps were balanced and silent.

Next was a boy with brown hair and eyes. He wore a dusty black shirt, baggy pants and work boots. He was kneeling on the ground, his shoulders were hunched and he held an unconscious girl. She was sickly pale and had chin length, light brown hair.

And standing in front of an ornate building stood an elegant woman in an elaborate black robe. She had long, dark hair and a serene smile.

The three closest occupants of the courtyard turned to me in surprise when I entered. The woman in black though didn't look surprised in the least.

"Have you come to travel as well?" she asked.

I thought carefully before speaking, "I don't know. I need to find someone. I was told to come here for help."

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And who told you that?"

My mind skipped for a moment. What had she asked me?

"What?" I asked past a growing headache.

The woman regarded me thoughtfully for a moment. Then she grimaced, like she had figured something out and the result was unpleasant.

What had we been talking about? Right, I'd told her I needed help.

"Can you help me or not?" I asked, my tone rough.

"I can, for a price," she explained, collecting herself.

"What do you want?" I held out my wrist. "I have credits."

"I won't be taking currency, but before we get into that, can I have your names?"

I forced myself to relax. I needed something from this woman, so I had to slow down and talk to her politely. "I'm Alice."

The woman nodded and turned her attention to the warrior.

"Me?" He asked. "I'm Kurogane. I mean… what is this place?"

"It's called Japan," she said. The name of this world reminded me that I wasn't in Elpedite, or even on the same planet. Was this another planet, or another universe?

"Eh? My country's called Japan, too." He growled.

"Yes. A different Japan."

"I'm to getting any of this!" He said.

The woman ignored his anger, turning to the blonde man. "And you?"

The man bowed, "The wizard of Seresu, Fai D. Fluorite."

I wondered what a wizard was but decided to ask later.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, I am Yuuko. Now, do you know where you are?"

"Yes, a place where any wish can be granted if a suitable price is paid," Fai explained.

"That's exactly it. And so the reason why all of you are here is because each of you has a wish."

At the same time both Fai and Kurogane began speaking; "My home world…."

Fai continued, "….is the place I do not want to be."

Kurogane finished, "….is where I want to be."

Yuuko nodded, "That is a tall order for the four of you. No… for all five of you perhaps. Even if you offered the most precious things you own, none of you has enough to pay."

The boy started to shake, but Yuuko continued, "But if all four of you paid together, you just might be able to afford it."

"What kind of crap are you spouting?" Kurogane scoffed.

Fai gave a little wave. "Mr. Black, can you keep your insults down?"

"I'm not Mr. Black!"

"All four of your wishes are the same." Yuuko said.

She glanced at the boy and nodded at the unconscious girl. "You want to go to many worlds in order to restore the memory of this child."

Yuuko addressed Kurogane. "You want to return to your own world."

Then to Fai, she said, "You want to go to different worlds to avoid returning to your own."

And finally to me she said, "And you need to travel worlds to find the person you're searching for."

"You have different reasons, but the method is the same. Travel to different dimensions, that is what you need." She glanced at each of us, "Each of you individually cannot make that wish happen. However if the four of you combine payment for one wish, then you can afford it."

She was right, the way of getting what we wanted was the same, but I didn't like the idea of traveling with these people.

"Then what would my payment be?" Kurogane demanded.

Yuuko pointed to his side, "Your sword."

"I'd never sell away Ginryuu!" He snapped.

"Fine!" Yuuko grinned, advancing on him and poking his chest, "Instead you will wander this world looking like some costume-contest loser and get picked up by the police for carrying an unlawful sword, then get plastered all over the TV for being a freak! Is that what you want?"

Kurogane stared down at the smug woman and sputtered.

"You realize that you are trapped here, and I'm the only person in the world who can get you out?" she asked.

"That's got to be a lie!" he exclaimed.

"It's all true!" Fai called in a sing-song voice.

"You're kidding!"

Yuuko smirked. "What will you do?"

"Dammit!" he snarled. "When I'm free from this curse, I'm coming back for it!" He thrust his sword at her. It floated out of his grip and hovered behind her.

I looked around the courtyard, trying to find any magnets, or wires, but I couldn't find anything that would explain a floating sword.

"Your price, is you markings," Yuuko told Fai.

"I don't suppose this staff would do instead?" He asked, raising the piece up.

"It won't. I told you, the price is the thing you value most."

Fai nodded and a tattoo was lifted from his back to float near the sword.

Yuuko's eyes met mine, "Your price will be those," she raised her finger to point to the hilt of my sword.

She was pointing to the sword, but I knew it couldn't be what she wanted. She wanted what was most valuable to us, and I considered my sword disposable. Which meant she wanted the two rings tied to the hilt.

One ring was a gold band and the other had a small blue stone fixed in place by a silver spiraling pattern.

Despite the wrenching feeling in my stomach, I thought it over coldly. I needed to make sure Nathaniel was safe, and I had to travel between worlds to find him. Right now the only way to do that was to give her the rings.

I didn't say anything as I untied them and held them out, pushing aside any emotion. She raised her hand and they floated over next to the tattoo.

"How come the brat gets to keep her sword?" Kurogane growled. I didn't acknowledge him but kept my eyes on the strange woman.

Yuuko moved onto the boy and started addressed him. "What about you? Now is the time to hand over your item of highest value and you will be able to travel the worlds."

"Fine," he agreed.

"You realize I haven't named the price yet?"

He responded with the same amount of determination as the first time. "Yes."

"The only thing I can do is send you to other worlds. Finding the child's memories is your responsibility."

"That's fine," he said again.

Yuuko smirked, "I like your attitude."

A boy with black hair and glasses came running out of the building carrying two creatures, one black and one white, both with long ears.

He looked surprised when he saw us. "There's more of you?"

Yuuko looked at him as he walked over, then returned her attention to us. "The name of this young one is Mokona Modoki." She gestured to the white one, "Mokona will lead you through the worlds."

Kurogane noticed the black one. "Hey, you got an extra. Give it to me. I'll go home with that."

Yuuko shook her head, "No. That's how we keep in contact. The only power this one," she pointed to the black one, "has is to communicate with Mokona. Mokona will take you to different dimensions, but there is no way to control which dimension. For that reason, only fate will decide when your wishes are granted."

Her tone went from playful to grave. "However, there is no coincidence in this world. What is there is Hitsuzen. And what brought you together was also Hitsuzen."

She turned back to the boy. "Syaoran, your price is your relationship. The thing you value most is your relationship with her." The woman pointed to the sleeping girl. "So that is your price."

Syaoran looked horrified. "My price? But how—"

She cut him off. "Even if this child's memories are completely restored, your relationship with her will never be the same again. So what is she to you?"

Syaoran looked down at the girl, and I knew what he would choose.

"A childhood friend," he said, "and the princess of a country and… a girl who is precious to me!"

"I see." Yuuko's expression softened. "However, if you want to accept Mokona, that relationship will end. Even if you retrieve all of her memories, the memory that you will never retrieve will be her memory of you." She was quiet for a moment. "That is my price. Will you still pay it?"

He didn't hesitate, "Let's go. I will not let Sakura die!"

Yuuko nodded. "Traveling between worlds is more difficult than you imagine. There are a wide variety of worlds. For example, the worlds these three come from." She glanced at me, Fai, and Kurogane. "You can tell just from their clothes, can't you? They come from very different worlds than yours."

She was right. Fai's coat was thick, tightly woven, and would do well cold weather.

Syaoran's clothes were worn and his tough work boots suggested rugged terrain and an arid climate. Conversely the girl's clothes were light, clean and showed no wear.

Kurogane's clothes were designed for fighting. They were dark with battered metal plates held in place by thickly woven ropes for defense.

My clothes were made of kevlar, denim, and leather for mobility. They were new, but because of the past few hours you wouldn't be able to tell.

Yuuko continued. "People you know will have developed under completely different conditions on other worlds. You may meet different versions of the same person time after time on different worlds, but just because that person is nice to you on one world doesn't mean they will be in the next. You'll find worlds where you can't communicate. Scientific development, standard of living, laws… all change with the world. There are worlds full of criminals, worlds of liars, worlds locked in constant wars, and you must live through them all. It will be a journey in which you won't know where you are nor how close you are to collecting all of the fractured pieces of memory. That said, are you still determined to see it through?"

"Yes." Syaoran said.

Yuuko extended her hand, the one that Mokona was on, and the wind began to stir. "Sincerity and determination: no matter what a person wants, those are needed. And it seems that you are well provided with both. And so," Mokona grew wings and a circle of shifting, iridescent colors expanded beneath it,"you may go!"

As the final word left her mouth, the wind and colors swirled violently around me and the others. Suddenly, the very air around me was stretching and spinning. I was able to catch a glimpse of the strange white creature before everything disappeared, and I fell.

For a few seconds all I could do was try to process what was happening. Iridescent colors swirled around me, appearing close and far away at the same time. I couldn't get a sense of balance. Shifting my weight, I tried to right myself and found the sensation to be less like falling through air, and more like trying to swim. I was able to get myself somewhat upright, but my ability to propel myself was limited. I was vaguely aware of the other people, but I was more focused on trying to keep myself oriented.

The colors started dissolving underneath me, stretching like putty. As they cleared away, I could see cement about ten feet below rushing up to meet me.

I landed on my feet and with my hand on my blade despite my dizziness. I saw Fai and Kurogane follow suit. Syaoran landed on his feet holding the girl. He wobbled for a moment and fell backwards.

Fai leaned over them with a worried smile. "It seems traveling to a new world twice in such a short time was too much for him."

I glanced over and saw the boy was out cold, before looking around at the new world.

The strip of sky between the skyscrapers and empty office buildings was dark. The closer buildings had flashing neon signs in an array of bright colors.

Suddenly the small white creature fell onto Kurogane's shoulder.

"Gah!" Kurogane yelled, flinging the creature off his shoulder. He reminded me of a child that had noticed an unpleasant insect hitching a ride on their clothes.

Mokona laughed and landed on Fai's shoulder.

"Why hello there, Mokona, was it?" Fai asked.

"Mm-hmmm," Mokona replied with a little bounce.

Kurogane's eyebrows rose, "The pork bun can talk!?"

"Mokona is Mokona, not a pork bun!" the creature cried, leaping back onto Kurogane's shoulder. This time he maintained his composure.

Fai tried to get Syaoran and the girl into a more comfortable position but was having trouble due to Syaoran's tight grip around her. Upon hearing Kurogane and Mokona's exchange, he laughed and succeeded in leaning the pair against the wall.

I kept quiet for the exchange, standing off to the side. A mob of people were visible at the end of the street, accompanied by the distant hum of many voices. It was far away and they were only visible as dark silhouettes with the bright shop fronts and street lights behind them, but it still made me tense.

I wasn't distracted for long. A car turned down the street and drove slowly in our direction. My world used to have cars, Nathaniel had shown me a book on old modes of transportation, but they had been replaced by a network of bullet trains and aircraft.

I didn't like how the car slowed as it turned down our street, and was about to say so when Mokona jumped onto my shoulder. I flinched and glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Those are the friends Yuuko sent to help!" Mokona pointed at the car.

The car pulled up to next to us, and despite Mokona's explanation, I was ready to move. However, my apprehension was unnecessary, as a smiling man in his late twenties rolled down the window. He had short dark hair and his smile seemed genuine.

"You wouldn't happen to be the people Yuuko sent, would you?" The man asked as he glanced at Mokona. He eyed our clothes, but didn't mention their variety.

Fai walked to the car and asked politely. "We are. This one," he pointed to Mokona, "mentioned friends of Yuuko, would that be you?"

"That's us." the man said, stepping out of the car. A woman stepped out on the other side. She had sleek, dark hair that fell bellow her shoulders and a serious, but not unfriendly expression.

The man bowed. "I'm Sorata. And this is my lovely wife, Arashi. We're gonna give you guys a place to stay while you're visiting our world."

"That's very kind of you," Fai said. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Sorata pointed to his car. "So are you guys ready to go?"

"Well there's one problem." Fai said, stepping aside to gesture to the sleeping pair.

Sorata and Fai tried to figure out how they were going to get the unconscious pair into the car while I stood back to watch them and our surroundings.

Kurogane stood a few feet to my right, eyeing the car cautiously.

"What the hell is that thing?" he asked gruffly. Since I was the only one near him, I assumed he was asking me.

"It's a car, it's used for transportation," I said quietly.

"Your world has them?" He looked down at me with a raised eyebrow.

"No." I kept my tone neutral, trying not to come off as either aggressive or friendly. "They used to be a common form of transport, but they eventually became obsolete."

He grunted in response. He was definitely strange. He was a fighter, that was obvious from the sword and his walk, but his behavior was oddly immature. He was aggressive, but he didn't seem intent on actually inflicting any harm upon his new traveling companions, so I wasn't terribly concerned. Still, I'd be keeping an eye on him.

Somehow, Fai, Sorata and Arashi maneuvered the unconscious pair into the car and called us over. Everyone climbed into the car, Kurogane a little warily.

Sorata was driving with Arashi in the passenger seat. I sat in the middle row on the left, and Kurogane sat across from me on the right. The sleeping couple occupied the backseat on the left, and Fai, who had Mokona on his shoulder, sat on the right.

"So what are your names?" Sorata asked.

Kurogane spoke up, "Kurogane," he said gruffly.

"I'm Fai D. Fluorite, but you can call me Fai since it's rather long," Fai said.

"I'm Mokona!" Mokona cried.

"Call me Alice," I said as I stared out the window. This world was busy, like Elpedite. There were people everywhere, along with more glowing signs. The sides of the street were dominated by small shops, some giving off smoke and steam. The rest of the city was full of grandly lit arches, and more walkways than streets weaving between the buildings.

Fai, Sorata and Arashi were holding some conversation, and Kurogane and Mokona would occasionally say something, but I was preoccupied with the passing world and my exhaustion. It felt like I had been running nonstop since Adrian's scientists screwed up. Not to mention the… altercation I had with Adrian.

After all that I had a cut on my neck, some mild burns, and a decent cut in my side. And after _that_ I'd run four miles through an unfamiliar world, having not slept for forty-eight hours.

It had been a long day.

I didn't let myself sleep on the drive though. I was in a car full of strangers, and I had no idea where Adrian was, though I'd bet credits he was in another world as well.

Eventually I decided that all I could do was keep an eye out for Nathaniel and Adrian. There wasn't much else to do. The only concrete information I had was that Nathaniel was on some random world.

By the time Sorata parked, we'd stopped in front of an apartment building. Everyone got out, and the others started trying to figure out how to get the boy and girl up the stairs, since the apartment was on the third floor. It was decided that Kurogane would have to carry them. He grumbled and growled, but conveyed them up to the room. Arashi led the way to the room where they had set up several futons. Kurogane quickly set the couple down onto one and walked over to a wall to sit down.

Fai walked over to one of the other futons and collapsed onto it with a sigh as he looked around.

I stepped into the room to look around before turning to Arashi, "Can I clean up somewhere?" I had dust from the explosion plastered to my face, clothes, and injuries. The rain in Yuuko's courtyard had done little to wash it off, instead turning the grime into a sticky paste.

"Of course," She walked down the hall, gesturing for me to follow.

She led me to a bathroom, and I nodded in thanks before stepping in. It was plain compared to my world's facilities, but it would do fine.

A quick check found that there were towels under the sink, so I used them and the mirror to wipe my face and injuries clean. I saw my short black hair and dark blue eyes.

I would have to remember to keep my hair short, so it wasn't an issue if I had to fight. It wasn't a buzz-cut but it was only a few inches long. My nose had been broken a few times but was remarkably straight considering.

When I finished, I returned to the room the others were in. Arashi had passed out towels for us to dry off with, since we were still wet from the downpour in Yuuko's yard.

Sorata peaked into the room with a wave. "Well guys, morning is only a few hours away, so me and Arashi are gonna sleep. I suggest you do the same and we'll have breakfast in the morning."

Fai thanked him while Mokona twirled around, babbling about all the food he would have in the morning.

I walked over to the wall closest to the sliding glass door and sat against it.

"G'night." Sorata waved over his shoulder and slid the door closed, sending the room into shadow.

Fai dried himself off after removing his coat. Mokona was playfully patted with the towel, as he was still on Fai's shoulder. They both laughed and Fai attempted to dry the sleeping boy and girl while Kurogane and I removed our coats. After a while, we all wordlessly settled in to sleep.

The two— three if you include Mokona— strangers fell asleep quickly. I heard their heart beats slow along with their breathing. I, however, wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon. There were to many things buzzing through my head. Where was my brother? How the hell was I going to travel with these people like I was normal?

And, most importantly: where is Adrian?

Even though I was exhausted and knew there was nothing I could immediately accomplish, I was too on edge to sleep. It had been a long time since I'd out of the facility with normal people. Let alone the fact I was in another world surrounded by magic.

I sighed and turned to look at the stars. That's how I spent the night, watching the stars. Nathaniel had told me enough about the constellations in my world to know the ones here were completely different.

About an hour after the sun rose, I heard our hosts stirring in another part of the house. Then, a few minutes later I heard the clatter of kitchenware and the muffled voices of our hosts.

I heard Kurogane wake up and stretch, and his groan apparently woke Fai because he stirred as well.

Surprisingly, Syaoran mumbled in his sleep.

"He finally waking up?" Kurogane asked.

Mokona jumped onto the boy's chest and leaned in close. Fai sat next to the pair and waited for the boy to wake.

"Sa…kura…" Syaoran mumbled, his eyes fluttering open. Mokona was practically sitting on his face, beaming down at him.

"It looks like he's up." Fai smiled at Syaoran as he picked up Mokona.

The boy shot into a sitting position, his eyes glazed with sleep, "Sakura!" His panic dissipated after realizing she was safe in his arms.

Well, as safe as she could be with a heartbeat as weak as hers.

Fai smiled at the boy. "We tried to dry her off, she got pretty wet in the rain."

"Mokona dried too!" Mokona cried.

"Even while you slept, you wouldn't let her go. So you…er..." Fai smiled apologetically.

"Call me Syaoran." He said warmly.

"My name is pretty long. You can just call me Fai," Fai said. He looked over his shoulder, "and… Mr. Black over there. What'll we call you?"

Kurogane was staring at the floor, but at the nickname he snapped to attention with a glare. "I am not 'Mr. Black,' I am Kurogane!"

Mokona then decided, for some reason, to launch himself into the warrior's lap. Kurogane flung his arms up in wordless surprise, sputtering in anger.

"Kurogane, huh?" Fai said mostly to himself, as Kurogane was dealing with Mokona. Fai looked at me, "And you're Alice, right?"

"Yes." I said.

Syaoran looked at me, to put a face to the name, I assumed, before returning his attention to Sakura.

Fai's attention also went to her, and suddenly he leaned in and practically hugged Syaoran. Syaoran was caught off-guard, bristling like a startled cat.

Kurogane, having recovered from Mokona's landing, was just as puzzled as Syaoran. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Fai found whatever he'd wanted and sat back, something glowing in his hand. I frowned in confusion and tried to figure out what I was looking at. It was a pink, gleaming feather with a spiraling design in the center.

I was starting to realize this magic thing was going to be fun.

Fai held it out to Syaoran, "Is this what a piece of memory looks like for this child?" Syaoran gasped as Fai continued, "It was stuck to you. Only one, though.." He held the feather towards the girl, and there seemed to be some kind of gravitational pull on the thing because it fell towards her chest when it got within a few feet of her. The space in front of the girl's body rippled as the feather disappeared into the broken air.

I found myself frowning again.

A relief broke on Syaoran's face, "Her body, it's a little warmer."

I listened and found that her heartbeat was stronger and her breathing wasn't as shallow as it had been.

"If you hadn't had that feather, it might have been a problem." Fai said.

"By coincidence one stuck to my clothes." Syaoran said.

"There is no coincidence in the world," Fai held up a finger, "That's what the witch said, wasn't it? And so my guess is, without thinking, you grabbed it. In order to save the girl." Fai grinned, rubbing the back of his head, "Of course I'm just guessing all this! But my question is how we can find them now? New feathers…"

I was wondering the same. I wanted to keep moving if Nathaniel wasn't here. But if he was here, how would I know?

Mokona didn't keep Fai waiting.

"Mokona knows! That feather gave out really big waves! So when a feather is close Mokona will feel the big waves! And Mokona will be like—" Mokona paused and his eyes shot open wide and his ears stood up, "—this!"

"Well," Fai said with a smile I was beginning to suspect didn't leave his face, "it looks like we have a way. If we get close, Mokona will let us know."

Syaoran looked more lively than I'd seen him before, "Would you do that? Tell us when we're near a feather?"

Mokona snapped a salute, "Leave that to me!"

The tension eased from Syaoran's shoulders, "Thank you."

I decided it was time for me to ask my questions, and hopefully move things along. "Mokona, can you find people as well as magic feathers?"

Mokona jumped in my direction, so I caught him in my hand.

"Wow, the silent brat speaks," Kurogane growled.

I could see Fai and Syaoran looking at me curiously as well. I ignored the warrior's comment, but I understood their curiosity. I hadn't said much during our time together.

Mokona put a paw to his mouth."Mokona might…Names are powerful, so if Alice can tell Mokona their name that might work."

My first instinct was to refuse, but these people weren't from my world. Knowing who Nathaniel was wouldn't mean anything to them.

"His name is Nathaniel Velafied." I said calmly.

Mokona sat quietly for a second, "It's still kind of fuzzy… Can you tell me who Nathaniel is to Alice?"

"He's my younger brother," I said.

Mokona's puzzled expression vanished. "Got it!"

"Is he here?" I asked, reminding myself that the chances of him falling into this world were extremely low. From what Yuuko said, there were hundreds, or thousands, of different worlds.

"No," Mokona said sadly. "Sorry."

"That's fine," I said. "Thank you for the help." I wasn't mad at Mokona; it wasn't his fault. The news however, did frustrate me.

"Search or don't search," Kurogane said, glancing at me and Syaoran. "It's got nothing to do with me. I'm here to get back to my own world. That's the only reason I'm here. Don't expect me to stick my neck out for you or to help you. I won't do it."

"I didn't expect help," I said, a small amount of irritation seeping into my tone. "I can search for my brother myself. However, I need to find him soon, so I will be doing whatever it takes to keep us moving. Right now I believe we won't be leaving until Syaoran can find the feather, so I will help retrieve it."

Syaoran gave me an appreciative and apologetic glance before turning to Kurogane. "Right, the feathers are _my_ mission here. I'll do my best not to cause any trouble."

Kurogane looked bewildered by Syaoran's even response.

Fai laughed. "Syaoran, you're so serious."

Kurogane glared Fai. "Well, what about you?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you going to help the kid out, too?" Kurogane demanded.

"Hmmm." Fai rested his head in his hand. "I suppose so. My most important mission is to not return to my world, so if it doesn't threaten my life, sure, I'll help out. I've got nothing better to do."

Fai gave Syaoran a smile and Syaoran returned it gratefully.

Suddenly our hosts burst into the room, ushering us into the dining room. "Hope you all slept well!" Sorata, gestured to the food they had prepared. "Go ahead and take what you'd like, there's plenty."

Syaoran hung back in the room with Arashi to set Sakura up in a futon. He came out after a minute of convincing from Arashi that she would be fine.

I grabbed a plate, ate my food, and set it in the sink before anyone else was done. When the others finished, Sorata set aside his plate and stood.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your lucky day." He said, ushering us back into the room we'd slept in.

"Umm," Fai said, "In what way?"

"Mokona has no idea which world is next right?" Sorata said. "So, it's happy chance that brought you to this world first. Because this is the Hanshin Republic!" He drew the sliding door's curtain open to reveal a bustling downtown full of people, stores, and dazzling colors.

After his big reveal, Sorata drew out a puppet of himself and began describing the Hanshin Republic. He explained the country's weather, currency, sports and mascot. I watched from the back of the room but paid little attention.

Fai put his hand up when Sorata paused for breath. "Sir! I have a question!"

Sorata's puppet pointed enthusiastically at Fai, "Yes? Fai-kun?"

Fai asked something about Sorata's accent, which sparked a conversation about old languages that I quickly lost interest in. Syaoran however, seemed intrigued by the discussion, he was talking and moving his hands more as he spoke.

I leaned against the back wall, next to where Kurogane sat, hands in my pockets. I was looking out the window, studying the city. Kurogane, however, was asleep.

"You!" Sorata yelled and I glanced up. "Wake up!"

Sorata pointed his puppet at Kurogane, and a loud bang filled the room as Kurogane's head jerked forward.

Syaoran dived to cover Sakura. Fai spun to look at Kurogane as the man leapt to his feet.

I immediately pushed off from the wall, my hand on my sword, my eyes flicking around the room. I had no clue what had just hit Kurogane, but the fact I hadn't been able to see it probably wasn't a good thing.

"What was that?" Kurogane barked, clutching the back of his head and looking around. "I didn't feel an enemy! Who did that?"

Kurogane spun on Sorata. "Bastard! You threw that didn't you?"

Fai frowned. "You were in a corner. If he threw anything, it wouldn't hit you there. It had to come from above."

Sorata stood there, bewildered. "What? It was my kudan, what else?"

"Kudan?" the others asked. I kept silent but frowned.

Sorata blinked. "You don't know?" He smacked his forehead. "Of course you don't. You all come from different worlds!"

I relaxed slightly, returning to my position leaning against the wall as Sorata pulled out a marker, turning to the whiteboard behind him. "Everyone in this world has a kudan attached. Here's how it's written." Sorata wrote some scribbles on his board and I eyed them in confusion.

"I see." Kurogane said.

"I don't see at all!" Fai laughed.

"I don't understand either," I said.

"Mokona can read!" Mokona cried.

Fai patted him on the head, "That's really great Mokona!"

Mokona looked at Syaoran. "Can Syaoran read?"

"Yeah." Syaoran nodded. "More or less."

Sorata nodded thoughtfully. "Kurogane and Syaoran's worlds use kanji, but Fai and Alice's probably don't. But you understand what I say, and I understand you."

Kurogane interrupted Sorata's pondering, "Now what kind of technique is this kudan? And you used the word… attached."

Arashi had been standing quietly next to her husband, but now spoke up, "Even if you come from another world, once you entered this one, a kudan will be attached."

I was confused by the vague answers we were getting in regards to kudan, but from what I could gather it was some sort of magic force. And every single person on this world had one, something that I had no idea how to defend against or how it worked.

Wonderful.

Arashi walked over to Sakura and knelt down. "Would you mind if I call her Sakura-san?"

"That's fine." Syaoran said.

Arashi looked thoughtfully at her, "I cannot say where Sakura-san's memory went. However, if someone has picked it up, it will be the cause of a fight."

Syaoran stared at her in surprise, but before he could ask anything she turned to Kurogane and Fai. "You've lost your method of battle." It wasn't a question.

Fai and Kurogane looked wary of her mysterious knowledge.

"How did you know?" Fai asked.

Sorata chimed in, "My honey used to be a miko. Well, she's retired since she married me. Her beauty when she was dressed as a miko was a god-send!"

Sorata, apparently overwhelmed by the mental image, began mumbling to his puppet, red faced.

"Actually," Fai said, "I gave my magic power to the Dimension Witch."

"And I handed my sword to the bitch!" Kurogane snarled.

Arashi looked at me with a puzzled expression, "I can't see much about you…"

"I didn't lose my sword. I'm fine," I said, pushing aside my jacket to reveal the hilt of my sword.

"Yeah," Kurogane scoffed. "The brat got to keep her sword and give up some jewelry."

I thought about reminding him that they were both just hunks of metal, but that would accomplish nothing, instead focusing my attention on Arashi. I didn't want to start a fight with someone I could be stuck with for any length of time.

Arashi looked at Syaoran, waiting for his explanation.

"It wasn't any sort of power that I gave her," Syaoran said and glanced Sakura. "I never had magic or weapons or anything like that."

"That may have been your good luck." She said.

Syaoran frowned in confusion. "Eh?"

"There are kudan in this world. When it comes time to fight, the kudan should be able to help."

"Then this 'kudan' was originally meant for battle?" Syaoran asked.

"What you use it for," Sorata explained, "is all up to you. One look can answer a hundred questions. If you want to see what your kudan is, the only thing to do is see it with your own eyes." He nodded to his puppet, "Now, I've explained everything to know about this country."

"He did?" Kurogane muttered under his breath.

Syaoran looked at Mokona, "Well, what do you think? Do you think that Sakura-chan would have a feather on this world?"

Mokona closed his eyes, "Yep! It is still a long, long way away, but... this country has one." Mokona beamed as his eyes flew open. Syaoran grinned and I saw a determined light in his eyes.

"Shall we find this feather of yours?" Sorata asked.

"Yes!" Syaoran said firmly and stood up.

Sorata looked at the rest of us, "And you three, do you feel the same?"

Fai shrugged. "I might as well."

"My priority right now is getting to the next world," I said, glancing at Syaoran. "So I'll do what I can to help get the feather."

Kurogane glared at Mokona, "If I said I wanted to leave, would you do it… white thing?"

"No!" Mokona said cheerfully, "Mokona will not leave this country until Mokona finds the feather!"

Kurogane looked pissed, but unsurprised.

"Thank you, Mokona." Syaoran said.

Sorata rose from his seat, "Fine, while you're on this world, I'll vouch for you. I owe Yuuko-san a favor." He looked at Arashi lovingly and took her hand. She blushed, gazing back at him.

"This is our apartment building," Sorata said. "Feel free to use it until you're ready to move onto the next world."

Syaoran bowed, "Thank you very much."

Sorata and Arashi set everyone up with clothes more appropriate for this world. When everyone changed, we met outside to discuss the best way to go about searching.

I had black jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt, none of the straps or flowing designs that were standard for Elpedite. I'd kept my boots and sword but left my coat and gloves, which were eccentric for this world, according to Sorata. Fai had a white shirt with black pants, Kurogane was dressed all in black with a T-shirt, and Syaoran had a bright blue short-sleeved hoodie and jeans.

"All right," Sorata said once we gathered outside. "You have to search for Sakura's feather someplace! So get out into the neighborhood and see!"

"Fine," Syaoran said.

I offered a nod. I was getting impatient. I wanted to start searching and get this over with.

"Oh no," Sorata cried when saw his watch. "It's almost time for my lesson to start! If you walk around, I think you'll figure out what this kudan talk is about."

Kurogane glanced over at Mokona, who was on Fai's shoulder. "Is the white thing coming along too?"

Mokona leapt at Kurogane with a giggle, "Mokona isn't a white thing! Mokona is Mokona!"

Kurogane glared at Mokona as he landed on his shoulder, but didn't push him off.

Fai leaned over to Mokona, "If Mokona is a white thing, then this guy here is black thing, right?"

Kurogane transferred his glare to Fai.

Sorata reclaimed my, and Syaoran's, attention. "You have to take Mokona, or you'll pass right by the feather and never know. Don't worry. Nobody will give Mokona a second thought."

"Why's that?" Syaoran asked.

Sorata waved his hand. "What I mean is this world is used to weird sights. Now," He fished a frog-shaped wallet out of his pocket, "take this. There's enough for lunch in there, so the four of you should take your time and make friends."

Kurogane glowered at Syaoran, "Why's he giving it to the kid?"

Sorata grinned, giving him a thumbs up. "Cause he's the one who looks the most trustworthy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurogane snarled. Fai and Mokona snickered at his anger, but Syaoran looked sheepish.

I couldn't argue with Sorata's assessment. My constant silence and stillness didn't give off very friendly vibes.

Sorata waved goodbye and ran to catch his train. As he disappeared into the crowd, I looked around at the tall buildings and sea of people.

Finding this feather wasn't going to be easy.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is the updated version of Ch.2

* * *

Syaoran picked a direction and we started walking. Well, everyone except Mokona, who was riding on Syaoran's head. The sight of the crowded street felt like a physical shove trying to turn me around. I had to remind myself that no one would recognize me here before heading after the others.

But I did activate the System to start scanning for Adrian's face in the crowd. I didn't want him surprising me, and if I was going to face him, I'd need every advantage I could get.

The buildings had an array of bright paper advertisements, flashing signs and stretched far above us. It vaguely reminded me of my world, but the buildings in Elpedite were higher and had fewer colors.

"This sure is a busy place!" Fai said as he looked around.

"People all over the place!" Mokona said.

Fai turned to Syaoran. "Syaoran-kun, have you ever seen this kind of thing?"

Syaoran was staring up and around in awe. "No. Never."

Fai looked over his shoulder at Kurogane. "Kuro-tan, how about you?"

"No. And why do you have to call me by weirder and weirder names?" Kurogane snapped.

Fai laughed and slowed his walk to fall back next to me.

"What about you Alice-san?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said warily, "this place is pretty similar to my world. But in my world there's more people in the cities and the buildings are taller. This place is about a hundred years behind technology-wise too."

"Wow," he said. "So this is pretty normal for you?"

I glanced around the crowd. "For the most part." The huge city and flood of people was normal for Elpedite. What was different was I usually wasn't part of it.

Two school girls passed by, staring and giggling at Mokona. Kurogane smirked. "It's you they're laughing at."

"Mokona has many girlfriends!" Mokona blushed.

Kurogane's smirk vanished. "They aren't girlfriends."

"Come in, come in!" a vendor cried, interrupting Mokona and Kurogane. Fai and Syaoran wandered over to the stall, which looked like it was selling fruit. Kurogane and I followed them over, but I stopped a few feet away from the stand. Putting my back to the crowd completely wasn't something I wanted to do. Even if Adrian wasn't here, I had no idea what the crime rate in the city was like.

"Come in gentlemen. You wanna buy an apple from me?" the vendor asked, seeing he had Syaoran and Fai's attention. He held out a red fruit to Syaoran, who stared at it in confusion.

"That… is an apple?" he asked.

The vendor gave him a puzzled look. "If it isn't, I have no idea what is."

Fai looked at the fruit and asked Syaoran, "So it didn't look like that on your world?"

Syaoran shook his head. "The shape is the same, but in my world the color is a pale yellow."

Kurogane stepped over to look at the fruit. "Isn't that called a pear?"

Syaoran shook his head again. "No. A pear is redder and has leaves coming out of the top."

"No," Fai said, "that's a raki seed isn't it?"

I listened to the exchanged from the back, vaguely paying attention. I kept my gaze on the crowd, trying to appear relaxed. The idea of Adrian in the crowd was scratching at the back of my mind.

Eventually the vendor lost his patience and frowned. "Do you want it or not?"

The three fell into silence but Mokona cried, "Want it!"

That seemed to decide things, so Syaoran bought five 'apples' or whatever they were, and passed them out as we walked to the side of the walkway that was actually a small bridge. I leaned against the stone wall that served as the bridge's guardrail as I ate my apple.

"These apples are pretty good, huh?" Fai asked.

"Yes," Syaoran said as he took a bite.

Fai turned and leaned against the short wall. "But it really is true the four of us come from completely different cultures." He blinked. "Come to think of it, I never asked… how did you get to the shop of the Dimension Witch, Syaoran-kun?"

"There's a high priest in my land. He sent me."

"That's impressive," Fai said. "It's hard enough to send one person across dimensions, but he sent two." Fai grinned at Kurogane. "How about you, Kuro-rin?"

Kurogane glared at the cement. "The princess of my country sent me away by force."

Fai poked his arm. "You did something bad and she did it to scold you!"

Mokona started poking Kurogane as well, like it was a game.

"Will you all shut up!" he snapped. "What about you. Who sent you?"

"Me? No one. I sent myself."

"Then you didn't have to ask the woman for anything! You could have done this yourself!" Kurogane snarled, pointing a finger at Fai.

Fai laughed. "Not even close. Were I to muster all of my magical abilities, just getting myself from one dimension to the next would take everything I can do." His smile faded as his gaze became distant. "The one who sent Syaoran-kun and the one who sent you, Kuro-chin, are people with a lot of magic power. I'll bet it took all they had. I imagine anyone has the power to send someone to another world only once. It would take going to a lot of worlds to be able to collect all of Sakura-chan's feathers. And I think the only one who can send someone to many worlds is the Dimension Witch."

"The lady from the courtyard, Yuuko," I asked. "She's the Dimension Witch you're talking about, right?"

"Yes, that right," Fai nodded. "So how did you find her if you didn't know who she was? How did you get to that world?"

I stared off into space and thought carefully, "I'm not sure…." I felt my mind grow fuzzy, and I frowned. "In my world, magic doesn't exist. There is— was— no concept of it. But then someone discovered magic. I knew the man who found it, but I never got a good look at whatever the magic was." I kept my explanation carefully vague. "I was near him when he tried to use it. There was an explosion and when I got up, I was in Yuuko's world. My brother was near me when the explosion happened and I saw him get thrown by the same blast that hit me, so I can only assume he's in another world, too."

"But you said your world had no magic, so how did you hear of, and know to go to, Yuuko?" Fai asked.

"I . . . " I tensed. I combed back through the time between the explosion and finding Yuuko. I had gotten to her world and then I was running to find her courtyard. There was something wrong. A missing step in-between arriving and knowing where to go. I fixed on the question, but even as my panic grew, the realization faded until I was left wondering why my heartbeat was elevated.

I frowned. "What did you ask?"

His smile faltered. "I asked…" He said something, but the question slipped away. I found my hand was clenched into a fist, and I glanced down at it in puzzlement.

"What are we talking about?" I relaxed my hand and rubbed the bridge of my nose.

Fai's smile disappeared for a moment and surprised replaced it. But his smile was back just as quickly. "We were talking about your world. You said magic didn't exist there."

"Oh." I nodded, my frown and headache disappearing. "Right."

"Hey what's—" Kurogane glared at me, but Fai playfully elbowed him in the side.

"Best not to ask her again Kuro-puu!" Fai said.

Kurogane glared, but didn't say anything else as Fai returned his attention to me. "Alice-san, if you don't mind me asking I have a question?"

Syaoran was staring at me in confusion. So was Kurogane, though it was masked with irritation. Even Mokona looked puzzled. I assumed they must be confused about my world not having magic, so I let Fai move the conversation along. "Depends on the question," I said.

Fai nodded. "Of course. I was going to ask about your eyes. When you first saw us, there was blue light flickering across them, and a few times now as we've been walking in the crowd. I assumed it was magic, but now that you've said your world doesn't have any…" He let his unspoken question hang and waited patiently.

"So I wasn't the only one who saw it," Kurogane said.

"Huh?" Syaoran asked, looking between me and the other two.

I carefully considered what to tell them. Telling the truth would keep our travels civil and there was no benefit to lying to them, so I decided it would be best to explain it thoroughly. "What you saw in my eyes was a scientific achievement from my world. It's a collection of machines that have been surgically implanted in my body to advance different things. In my eyes…" I looked at Syaoran and ran a basic facial analysis, "you see my display lenses. They can display information on whatever I'm focusing on and sharpen my vision."

Syaoran's eyes widened as, from his point of view, blue light briefly flickered across my pupils and irises. In my vision, I saw Syaoran's face highlighted in blue as the scan labeled his basic facial features. If I were running a more complex scan or another function, numbers, angles, or paragraphs could be displayed in my vision. "I don't only have lenses though," I continued. "I also have advanced hearing, healing, reaction time, and strength. All of it has been surgically implanted, and I could run down the specifics, but most of it would probably go over your heads. To summarize it I have a system of wires and other, very small, pieces of machinery in my body. All of this runs off of sunlight absorbed through my skin— solar power. As a whole it's called the Advanced Limb Interface Control Engine, but I call it the 'System' for short. It can perform other, more specific, tasks, but those are the basics."

I crossed my arms when I was finished and waited quietly to see how they would react. They all seemed to need a minute to absorb the information.

Syaoran was the first to react. "That's amazing! Is that common where you come from?"

"No."

"Super powers!" Mokona giggled.

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "Why do have all of that? How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen," I said calmly, "and I won't be answering that other question."

"Why the hell not?" He glared at me.

"You'll find there's going to be a few things I'm not going to discuss." I sighed and glanced over at them all. "But I won't lie to you, I can promise that."

Kurogane didn't look satisfied, but I had my own questions, and I wanted them answered. "Fai, I have a few questions on magic. If you got yourself to Yuuko's shop, you must be familiar with it. Would you be able to answer them for me?"

Fai leaned back against the stone wall. "Okay, but magic is rather complex. I might not be able to answer some of your questions."

I nodded. "That's fine. What is magic?"

Fai laughed, not unkindly. "Sorry, Alice-san, but magic is hard to simplify. If you watch closely, you'll probably start understanding soon, but there are many different kinds of magic, used for many different things. You might just have to wait and see."

"All right…" I sighed, "Next question then: would I be able to use magic?" I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to, but it would probably be useful if I could.

Fai put a hand over his mouth thoughtfully. "Hmm… probably not. From what you said about your world not having magic, and about that explosion when that man tried to use it, I'd say you wouldn't react well with it."

"Okay." I nodded. "Last question: how can I defend against magic?" This was the most important question.

Kurogane broke in with a barking laugh. "Well, if you can't use magic then you should get the hell out of the way if it's aimed at you."

Fai shrugged. "Can't argue with that."

I nodded. "All right."

I saw a flicker of movement over Fai's shoulder and leaned over the wall to get a better view.

There was a group of uniformed people standing on a roof across the street by the river. They all wore goggles and grey scarves that waved in the wind. Fai, Kurogane and Syaoran turned to see what I'd been looking at. Some of the people near us stopped walking and pointed up at the men on the roof top.

As more people spotted the group, the crowd began muttering restlessly and the murmurs rose into a distressed hum. I grimaced and shifted my weight to the front of my feet. Most of the crowd around us began to run away from the building the group was standing on, but there were several people moving against the flow. They all wore similar denim jumpsuits, caps and aggravated expressions.

Seeing the opposing 'teams,' as I guessed they were, I realized that this was probably some kind of gang war.

The men on the ground drew together, facing the building, and one of them yelled up to the gang on the roof. "This neighborhood is our's, Shougo! Get out of here before we kick your asses!"

One of the men on the roof was taller than the others, had a long ponytail and an arrogant air about him. He silently turned his hand into a thumbs down gesture and smirked at the group on the street.

I put my hand on the hilt of my sword and readied myself to move. I could see Kurogane tense out of the corner of my eye. Syaoran just seemed confused, and Fai... Well...

"They're cool!" he said, putting a hand up to shield his eyes.

The men on the street shuffled nervously. "That bastard has a special kudan," one of them said as they glared at the ponytail man on the roof, "but he's too damn arrogant, we can take him!"

I heard Syaoran hiss in a breath and looked over to see he had a hand on his chest, and was staring at it in concern. But I was distracted as all the men, with the exception of ponytail man, leapt off the roof and down to the street. This seemed to break the rising tension and when the men landed, both sides set their feet and extended their arms.

I was expecting guns or maybe explosives. What I wasn't expecting was the multitude of creatures that appeared on each man's arm. They ranged from amphibious to mammalian and wore a wide array of colors. One resembled a lizard with bright blue scales and orange feathers trailing down it's back and into a tail that curled around it's welder's arm. Another was a tiny, furry ball with a huge eye for it's face and spindly, bat-like wings. As soon as the creatures appeared they began firing beams of energy at the opposing gang. Luckily, our group was far enough away from the fight that we didn't have to be too concerned.

I relaxed, and so had the crowd apparently. They had stopped running and were all yelling at the gang members.

"So that's a kudan?" Kurogane asked as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

Fai laughed. "I think I've figured out why no one was surprised by Mokona."

I frowned as I came to terms with the sudden appearance of the kudan that were breaking scientific laws I'd known all my life. But after glowing feathers and traveling worlds, it wasn't that hard to accept.

The fight had become more intense and the beams started to miss their marks and hit the surrounding buildings. Glass and pieces of the buildings began raining down onto the street. Most of the crowd took this as their cue to evacuate.

One of the kudan broke away from the chaos below and leapt towards the man on the roof. The man seemed unimpressed as the humanoid kudan approached. He smirked and put a hand to his chest. Water crashed into being, radiating from the man's heart and swirling up and around him. The water spiraled violently against gravity and flowed up into the air. The wind from it pulled at the man's hair and scarf but his expression remained confident. The water above him changed shape and flowed to form an enormous kudan above him. It looked like a stingray and was made entirely of water with a long tail sweeping out behind it.

The kudan whipped its tail at the assailant, causing a tsunami to roar into being around the man and overwhelm the approaching kudan. But the tsunami didn't stop there. It poured off the rooftop and onto the street full of retreating people. We we're far enough away that the water didn't reach us. The crowd across the street that had been trying to flee, however, were not as lucky. They were knocked off of their feet by the rushing water, which swept past them and slammed into the building behind them. The force of the impact knocked loose a sign that had been bolted to the building.

Two boys who had been knocked off their feet lay directly below it as it rattled and broke away from its holding. Syaoran shoot past me, sprinting toward them.

"Watch out!" he yelled. One of the boys tried to help the other to his feet, but there wasn't any time. The sign was in free fall now and would crush them in moments.

Syaoran got to the boys and threw himself over them, trying to shield them from the impact. I was sure Syaoran was dead, along with the boys, but a second before the sign would have made impact, fire exploded into being above and around Syaoran. It burned the sign into ash almost instantly, but didn't touch Syaoran or the boys.

I lost my composure for a moment. "What the hell...?"

The fire turned the remaining water in the street into steam, making the air foggy around Syaoran and the children. The System sharpened my vision, letting me see through the clearing mist. Syaoran got to his feet, and I thought for a moment that he was on fire. There was a creature that I assumed must be a kudan standing next to him. It looked like a flaming wolf with a single gold horn curving from its forehead and stood almost as tall as Syaoran, and despite it being made of fire, it didn't burn him.

"You seem to have a special kudan, don't you?" said the man on the roof. His stingray kudan drifted closer to him. "A kudan that can wield fire." The man gestured up to the giant stingray. "Mine works water. This will be interesting!"

The man's kudan opened its mouth and a jet of water shot directly at Syaoran and the boys. Syaoran stood firm and opened his arms wide, shielding them. Before the water could touch them, fire once again roared into life around them. The jet of water met the wall of flame and hissed as it was boiled off onto steam.

The man on the roof crossed his arms. "I'm Shougo Asagi. You?" His tone was casual, like he hadn't almost killed Syaoran and the boys, twice.

Syaoran glared up at him. "Syaoran."

Shougo grinned. "I like your style."

One of the men from Shougo's group yelled, "Shougo, the cops!"

Men in uniform were pushing their way through the crowd and towards the gang members.

The man on the roof sighed. "And it was just getting good." He threw a fist into the air. "Come on, ya bastards! Let's get outta here!"

The men in the street whooped and hollered as they leapt onto roof tops and ran into alleys, disappearing into the city as the police sprinted after them.

"Next time we meet, we'll have some real fun!" Shougo yelled over his shoulder before running after his men.

Seeing that the danger had passed, Kurogane, Fai and I walked over to join Syaoran and the two boys he'd saved. I warily eyed the flaming wolf that still stood by Syaoran, but it quickly curled into a small ball of fire and vanished into his chest. Syaoran looked baffled and cautiously put a hand on the spot his flaming companion had vanished into. "It... went inside me."

"That was amazing!" Fai said. "Syaoran-kun, did that come from you?"

Kurogane crossed his arms. "That's a kudan, huh?"

Syaoran still had a hand on his chest but was regaining his composure. "I'm not sure, but my heart got very hot."

"Well..." I said, shoving my hands in my pockets, "It was made of fire."

One of the boys Syaoran had rescued got to his feet. Now that things had calmed down, I got a better look at the kids. The boy that had stood up had black hair, a plain but friendly face, and wore a black uniform. His friend looked similar to him—they could have been siblings—but he wore a robe and an odd hat. They were probably twelve years old, maybe thirteen.

"Are you all right?" Syaoran asked the boy in the uniform.

The boy nodded and wiped a tear from his face, offering a shaky smile.

Syaoran looked at the other boy. "And you, you're okay, too?"

The boy in the robe bowed and vanished. Syaoran and Kurogane started at the boy's sudden disappearance. "He disappeared!" Syaoran blurted, staring at the remaining boy.

"Oh!" Fai said and smacked his fist into his hand. "That kid was a kudan."

Kurogane grimaced. "It looks like they can be anything."

Fai looked around. "Now where can our 'almost kudan' have gotten off to?"

Fai was right: Mokona was absent from our group. I set the System to scan for Mokona's characteristics as I craned my neck to look around. Losing Mokona, the one creature that could find feathers, would be a major setback.

"Mokona!" Syaoran cried, his head whipping around.

Kurogane glanced around. "Ahhh!" he growled and scratched the back of his head. "It probably got stepped on."

"Look~" Fai pointed of towards a group of girls. "The truth is quite different."

"Mokona is popular with the ladies!" Mokona cried as the group of girls cooed and fawned over him.

Fai and Syaoran politely rescued Mokona from his admirers, much to the girls' dismay. They pouted and waved goodbye to Mokona as he returned to his perch on Syaoran's head.

"Mokona, where were you?" Fai asked.

"On top of Kurogane. But then Mokona fell off," he explained, hopping up and down. "But just earlier Mokona went just like this!" Mokona's eyes went wide, his signal for a nearby feather.

"You mean that Sakura's feather is somewhere nearby?" Syaoran asked.

"It was, but Mokona doesn't feel it anymore."

"Who had it?" I asked. I wanted to keep moving, and finding the feather was already taking longer than I'd hoped.

Mokona shook his head. "Don't know."

"I see," Syaoran said, his shoulders sagging.

Fai crossed his arms. "Even if we limit it to the people who were here, it'll still be a long search. There were lots of people."

"Still, we now know that someone close by has it. That's progress," Syaoran said, then looked to Mokona. "If you sense anything more, let us know."

Mokona pushed up onto his toes and thumped a paw to his chest. "Yes! Mokona will go all out!"

Fai grinned and poked Kurogane. "But if Kuro-chi never dropped Mokona, this wouldn't have happened."

Kurogane pushed his arm away. "What makes this my fault? And will you stop calling me those names?"

The kid Syaoran had saved was still hanging around, eyeing his rescuer nervously from the edge of our group. I eyed him up and down, using the System and found he had no injuries, which meant he had no obvious excuse for sticking around. He glanced at me and we locked eyes for a moment.

"What do you want, kid?" I asked.

The boy started and his face reddened slightly. "I just wanted to thank him," the boy bowed to Syaoran, "properly. My name is Masayoshi Saito."

Syaoran waved his arms in protest. "No, we really didn't do anything..."

Masayoshi stuttered. "But... But..."

"Mokona wants lunch!" Mokona cried, "Something really good!"

"Okay!" Masayoshi beamed.

No one had argued with Mokona, and despite my frustration I couldn't think of anything else to do to try and find the feather. So I kept quiet and followed everyone and Masayoshi to the restaurant. He took us to what I assumed was a mall, though I'd never been to one, and this world was pretty different from mine. The walkway was lined with vibrant shops with colorful clothes and spinning toys on display. Pillars lined the center of the walkway and rose up to support the curved ceiling two stories above.

The shop Masayoshi led us to had warmer, more muted colors than most of the others. Instead of panes of glass in the front, it had wooden and paper screens. Inside smoke clouded the air, making the upper half of the restaurant hazy. We all sat at a dark wooden table that had a grill running down the center. There was... something grilling on it.

"What is..." Syaoran started. It seemed no one knew what it was.

"Um," Masayoshi said as he fidgeted. "Y'see okonomiyaki is my favorite dish, so..."

Fai pointed to the grilling food. "Okonomiyaki? Is that what this is called?"

Kurogane was staring intensely at his food, leaning over it to get a more direct view. I glanced away from our table every so often and to the crowd passing by the restaurant. Our table was several feet away from the paper screens that served at the restaurant's windows. Since it was dimmer in here than out in the mall, we could see out without difficulty, but anyone on the other side would have a harder time seeing in. This made me feel a little better, but I didn't want to get to relaxed.

"Okonomiyaki is a staple of the diet in the Hanshin Republic," Masayoshi said. "If you don't know, then that must mean you come from outside the country?"

"Outside? You could say that," Fai said. The boy looked curious, but Fai smoothly changed the topic. "Do those people always run roughshod around this district?"

Masayoshi frowned and looked down at his hands. "That was a fight for dominance. They form into teams and fight to see whose kudan is the strongest."

Fai nodded. "And the strongest claims the rights to the territory?"

Syaoran frowned and his brow furrowed as he stared down at his food. "But think of the lives they put in danger when they fight in such a public place."

Fai nodded. "That's true, huh?"

Masayoshi perked up. "There... there are bad teams, but there are good teams too! They patrol their territory making sure no bad kids cause trouble. And if bad people are around, they take care of the problem."

"Like a local militia." Syaoran said.

"What about those two teams before?" Fai asked.

Masayoshi lit up. "The ones in caps were the bad ones! But the ones in goggles aren't like them at all! When they battle other teams, some of the surrounding buildings get damaged, so the adults are afraid of them, but they wouldn't do anything else that's bad! They're really cool!" Masayoshi stood up in excitement. "Especially their leader, Shougo-san! They say his kudan is a special level. It's so big and strong, everyone wishes they had a kudan just like it."

Masayoshi paused, and his face reddened as he dropped back into his seat. I guessed he hadn't noticed how loud he'd been talking. "I... I'm sorry," he mumbled.

I raised an eyebrow. "Masayoshi, you realize this man could have killed you if Syaoran hadn't jumped in?"

"B-but Shougo didn't mean to. He's really nice and cool most of the time," Masayoshi said.

I sighed and returned to watching the crowd. I didn't feel like arguing about this, and frankly I didn't care enough, so I rested my chin in my hand and let the conversation continue without me.

"So you wish you had a friend like him, huh?" Fai asked.

Masayoshi nodded enthusiastically. "I sure do!" He turned to Syaoran. "But I'd also like a friend like Syaoran-kun."

"Eh?" Syaoran asked.

Masayoshi smiled. "Anybody with a special level kudan is just amazing!"

"So what is that? Special level?" Syaoran asked.

"It's an especially high level for kudan. The fourth level kudan is the lowest. And moving up there's the third level, second level, first level, and at the very top is the special level," Masayoshi explained. "Years ago, all the countries got together and banned the use of levels on kudan, but normal people still use the system."

"Then that leader's kudan must be very strong," Fai said.

"Yeah." Masayoshi nodded. "So is Syaoran-kun's. To get a strong kudan, especially a special-level kudan, you need to be a strong person yourself, or they won't stay. It's a person's heart that controls a kudan. So if a person can command a strong kudan, that's proof that the person is strong. Who wouldn't want a friend like that?" Masayoshi hesitated as his smile fell and he hung his head. "My kudan is fourth level, the very bottom."

"Masayoshi-kun," Syaoran said, unsure how to console the boy.

Kurogane, who had been staring at his Okonomiyaki for the entire conversation, pick up a spatula and began scraping at the grilling food.

Fai looked at Syaoran. "But when did Syaoran-kun's kudan join up with him?"

Syaoran blinked. "Now that you mention it, I had an odd dream last night."

"Stop right there!" a voice boomed, startling everyone at the table.

The shout caused Kurogane, who was sitting on my right, to jerk his arm up in surprise and nearly decapitate me with his spatula. I ducked and threw him a sideways glare, but Kurogane didn't see it. He was frozen with his arm high above his head, staring at the man who had shouted. Everyone else at the table had jumped in surprise, except Fai. He hadn't even flinched.

I glared over at the man who had yelled. He had black hair and a stern face and wore an apron and gloves. Another man stood behind him with a much kinder expression than his friend, glasses, and blond hair. He wore an apron and a bandana on his head.

"Your Majesty!" Syaoran cried. I frowned and glanced between Syaoran and the man, who was very obviously a waiter, in confusion. "Y-your majesty, what brings you here?"

The man's expression went from annoyed, to annoyed and confused. "You got the wrong guy. 'Your Majesty' is nowhere in my name."

"What?" Syaoran asked.

The waiter ignored Syaoran and gave Kurogane a scolding look. "And mister, we do the flipping here. If you'd just leave it and wait, we'll be right here."

Kurogane unfroze and actually looked embarrassed. "Yes sir!"

It surprised me. This was the first time I'd seen him display anything approaching respect. Maybe his tough guy attitude was act to an extent? His somewhat childish behavior and this unexpected respect seemed to imply it. Or maybe he was just so unfamiliar with someone acting superior to him, he was startled into compliance.

The waiters walked away to attend to another table and our conversation resumed. "Majesty," Fai said as he turned to glance behind him at the waiters. "Was he a king in your world?"

"Yes," Syaoran said, his gaze locked on the waiters, "and the man with him was the high priest."

Mokona poked fun at Kurogane for being 'yelled at,' and Kurogane's usual irritation returned.

Fai turned back to face the table. "It's just like the Dimension Witch said. 'People you've met on your world . . . They've developed under completely different conditions on other worlds."

Kurogane ignored Mokona's harassment. "You're saying that they're the same as the king and high priest of the kid's world?"

Fai tilted his head. "They're the same, but not the same. The two from Syaoran's world lived a completely different life than these two. But when it comes down to it, at the very basic level, they're the same."

My thoughts drifted as I pondered the possibilities of this. What would happen if I met someone who looked like my brother? I would have to make sure he was my Nathaniel before running off with him. What about Adrian? Should I kill him to be sure and risk him not being the Adrian of my world? Actually, if I spotted the real Adrian, he would have likely already spotted me and considering how we had left off, he would probably try to kill me on sight.

What if I met another me?

I pulled myself out of my thoughts as Kurogane asked, "Basic level?"

Fai held up his hands and made a heart shape. "The very root of their lives. Their nature... their hearts."

"Soul," Kurogane said. "That's what you're saying right?"

Fai nodded and shortly after that, our waiters returned to serve the okonomiyaki, silencing the conversation as everyone began eating. I finished my serving in a few minutes, and glanced over to see Mokona grabbing Kurogane's Okonomiyaki.

"You little—" Kurogane growled as he grabbed the food with his chopsticks, snatching it out of a giggling Mokona's arms.

"That was great!" Mokona cried as we exited the restaurant and stepped back into the mall's walkway.

"It really was," Fai said, patting Mokona on the head.

"Good job guiding us here," Syaoran said to Masayoshi. "It really did taste good."

While the others complimented Masayoshi's choice of restaurant, I was watching the man hanging around the walkway opposite of us. I knew what someone looked like when they were trying to be inconspicuous. This guy was terrible at it; he blatantly stared us down and only glanced away when he met my gaze. He was wearing a fur-lined vest, black spectacles, and a mohawk branching from his head. Not exactly subtle.

I quietly stepped to the back of our group as the others started down the walkway, before stopping when I was sure they didn't notice me hanging back. I watched the man from my position behind a group of teenagers as he watched the others walk away. So he's not following me. Let's see who he is interested in.

I stepped away from the teens as the man stared walking away from the main walkway and into one of the smaller halls, glancing at the group. The group was looking around, maybe they had noticed my absence?

I turned the corner and saw the man had his back to me. On his arm was a red bird-like kudan with a long sweeping tail. He said something to it before the bird nodded and flew from his arm.

I stepped up behind him. "Why are you watching them?"

He spun on me with a gasp. "What?"

"Why are you watching them?" I repeated slower this time.

"That— None of your business." He scoffed before turning away from me.

As he took his first step my hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, twisting it and forcing him to turn and drop to a knee.

"Ahh! What the hell?"

"Why are you watching them?" I asked with more steel in my voice, my hand locked around his wrist.

"We're trying to find Syaoran, all right?"

"Then I'll introduce you." I said as I let go of his wrist and grabbed his elbow, yanking him to his feet and out of the side passage.

"What?" He yelped and tried to pull away from my grip to no avail. I knew he was going to start trying to fight me in a minute.

"Don't want to cause a scene do you?" I asked as I gestured to the people milling around the mall with my free hand.

He stiffened and allowed me to steer him back to the others, who were definitely looking for me now. Fai was on his toes looking back the way we'd come while Kurogane was lazily glancing around.

"Did you see where she went?" Syaoran asked Fai.

"I'm here." I said as I walked up behind Syaoran.

He turned. "Oh! Where did you go?"

"And who's your new friend?" Fai asked, waving at our stalker.

"He was following us and I decided to find out why. He was looking for Syaoran." I said, purposely leaving the statement open to the whole group as to not identify which one of them was Syaoran.

"Why's that?" Syaoran asked, eyeing the man.

"Not sure. Thought it might me a good conversation to have over here." I said and paused as the man remained silent. "So why were you looking for him?" I tightened my grip on his arm slightly.

The man grit his teeth. "My boss wants to talk to him."

"And who'd that be?" Kurogane asked crossing his arms.

The man's jaw tightened as he glared at Kurogane, but didn't say anything.

"Hey!" A yell interrupted us. I turned to see a rotund man in a leather vest, black spectacles and a mohawk backed by a horde similarly dressed people.

"Boss!" The man I had a grip on shouted. He tried to yank his arm away and for a second I thought about fighting him, but if we had any hope of diffusing the situation I couldn't hold this guy here. I let go and he ran to join his gang, disappearing among his peers.

"I wanna know who this Syaoran is!" The leader yelled, his eyes locking on Fai. "I hear Shougo says he likes your style."

"And what if I am?" Fai asked. Mokona was perched on his shoulder, laughing.

Syaoran stepped forward. "I'm Syaoran."

The man started and glared back our stalker, who'd stepped back to the front of the group. "A kid? Are you serious?"

"No, he's the guy! I'm sure of it!"

The large man spun back to face Syaoran again. "And your plan is to join Shougo's team?"

"Team?" Syaoran asked, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

The man pointed at Syaoran accusingly. "Shougo already has too many top-level people on his team! Any more will tip the balance! Even Shogo admitted that you have a really strong kudan. If you intend to join Shogo's team, I'm gonna have to stop you."

"I'm not joining," Syaoran said.

The man smirked. "Then you'll join my team!"

"I'm not joining you either."

Fai laughed. "He doesn't mince words, does he?"

"I have my own affairs, so..." Syaoran trailed off as the man clenched his fists and stomped his foot.

"Then you're planning to start a team of your own."

Syaoran put his hands up. "No, you're not getting—"

"Well, I'm gonna take you out right now!" The large man howled and flung out his arms. A gigantic shelled creature suddenly swirled into being above the man.

"That's huge!" Fai and Mokona cried in unison, both of them grinning.

Syaoran took a step back. "I'm doing no such thing." The words were barely out of his mouth before the kudan descended and whipped an armored tail in our direction. Syaoran barely ducked in time, Kurogane easily jumped out of the way, Fai (who still had Mokona) leapt to the side, and I dropped into a roll and came up in a crouch. I glanced at the pillar we had been standing in front of. It had been completely split in two and looked on the verge of collapse. I silently got to my feet, narrowing my eyes at the gang's leader, widening my stance.

I was pissed. This was already taking too long, and every second we spent running around hunting for this feather just added to my anger. Now this joker was attacking us for no damn reason, slowing us down even more! This guy was just begging for it.

Fai kept his easy expression, but his eyes narrowed. "Not a good listener, is he?" He took a step forward, but an arm shot out to block him.

Kurogane lowered his arm and walked forward. "I've been pretty bored here," he said as he stopped and put a hand on his hip. "I'll take you on!"

"Kurogane's been looking forward to this!" Mokona cried from Fai's shoulder.

Fai lost his tense stance and smiled at Mokona. "The Hanshin Republic is just his style, huh?"

Kurogane spun and pointed at the two. "Shut up over there!"

"But... Kurogane-san! You gave your sword to Yuuko-san," Syaoran said, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.

Kurogane turned away from the boy and faced the giant horseshoe crab kudan. "That sword was magic. It was special," he said, "and in my Japan, I needed it to kill monsters that lived there. But kudan aren't monsters."

I glanced between Kurogane and the gang leader, wondering if I should step in. I wanted to, if only to guarantee a faster pace, but my opponent would be a giant crab. I had no experience fighting giant monsters but it sounded like Kurogane had plenty. It would be best to let him take this fight.

The large man eyed Kurogane up and down. "So, what level is your kudan?"

Kurogane shrugged. "I don't know, and I don't care. What's all the talk for? Come and get me!"

"Syaoran-kun!" Masayoshi yelled and I glanced over to see him running over to join us.

"Masayoshi-kun, do you know this guy?" Fai asked and nodded at the fat man.

Masayoshi grimaced. "It's a team that wants to control this district! They're battling Shougo's team over it!"

"Is their leader any good?" Fai asked.

Masayoshi paled as he eyed the man, his hands shaking slightly. "His kudan is first level! He may not look like much, but his kudan is one of the fastest around! And—"

"Take a look at the attack of a first-level kudan," the large man interrupted. "Eat this! _Kani-Nabe Senkai_!"

The crab kudan spun and whipped its tail, forcing Kurogane to leap into a back-flip. His hands brushed the tile of the walkway, guiding his landing. He landed in a crouch, he feet skidding back a few inches, with his back to a shop front window. The kudan's tail snapped across the window only a few inches above Kurogane's head, tearing into.

Kurogane was nimble for his size, and I could see his swordsmanship in his step. His stance and movements were designed for it, but without a sword they were incomplete. Kurogane danced away from the shop front, giving himself more space in case he needed to move.

"It sliced right through!" Syaoran gasped.

Masayoshi clenched his fists and finished what he'd been trying to say. "That kudan can sharpen parts of its body to an edge as sharp as a knife."

The kudan hurled itself at Kurogane, thrashing its tail as it bore down on him. Kurogane wisely sped down the walkway, trying to out run the giant crab. "Go! Go!" the large man screamed.

Kurogane glanced over his shoulder as the kudan's tail swiped for his legs, but passed harmlessly underneath him as he jumped just in time.

"Watch out!" Syaoran yelled and started forward.

Fai put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I think if you get involved, he'll get really mad," he said with a patient expression.

Syaoran frowned, glancing between Fai and Kurogane before nodding. Syaoran would only get in the way in any case. His kudan was powerful, but if he couldn't get out of this kudan's way in time, it wouldn't matter.

" _Kani Doraku_!" the gang leader cried.

Kurogane only had time to put his arms up protectively before the kudan spun and slammed into him and the wall. Kurogane kept his arms up, but was sent flying.

"Kurogane-san!" Syaoran yelled.

I was impressed that Kurogane had been able to keep his hands up despite being thrown several feet. However, it was obvious he wasn't winning this fight. He was fast, strong and I could tell he had years of experience, but he was going unarmed against a huge, bladed opponent. Without a sword Kurogane didn't have much of a chance of winning this.

The gang jeered at Kurogane as he got to his feet.

"Where's your kudan? You're probably so weak, you're ashamed to bring it out," the large man yelled.

"Oh, shut up," Kurogane snapped as he leaned against a pile of rubble. He looked pretty banged up, but he was grinning, so he couldn't be too badly injured. He straightened. "You guys talk too much!"

The large man sneered and pointed to the giant kudan hovering over his shoulder. "My kudan has an even tougher shell than most first-level kudan!"

Kurogane cracked his knuckles. "But it has a weakness. If I had a sword it'd be in pieces already." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a huge shape formed behind Kurogane. The blue reptilian creature easily dominated the walkway and stood at least two stories in height. It was deep blue with a slender neck and a sleek, pointed head. Looming bat-like wings extended from its back and a sweeping tail curled around the beast.

Kurogane's voice was faint, but thanks to the System I heard him. "What? You were the one that appeared in my dream!"

The dragon dissolved into some kind of mist that swirled into a point in front of Kurogane. The mist sharpened into a new form, a sword that hovered in front of Kurogane. It was different from the one Kurogane had back at the witch's shop. This one was straight like mine, not curved like his original blade. It was also bladed on both sides. Although this sword was broader than mine, almost a foot across.

Kurogane grabbed the hilt of the sword and flipped it experimentally.

"You're asking me to wield you?" he muttered and stared down the blade. He grinned. "I get it. You like a good punch-up, too."

The large man took a step back. "S-so that's your kudan? It's probably all show! Well, I've got an ultimate attack." He threw out an arm. " _Kane Kui-Hodai_!"

The crab kudan's spikes elongated as it darted toward Kurogane. "It doesn't matter how hard a shell is," he said. "When you pull out a knife, lobsters and crabs all have weak points in the joints." Kurogane leapt at the kudan and shouted, " _Hema Ryû-Ô-Jin_!"

Energy swirled around the blade of the sword as he brought it down onto the kudan. He split the creature cleanly in two and fell to the ground in a crouch as the kudan exploded above him.

"Gah!" the gang leader screamed and clutched his chest. He fell to the ground as his gang gathered around him. The man pointed a shaky finger at Kurogane. "Th-the kid lied! He did form a team. You're a part of Syaoran's team, aren't you?"

Kurogane glared down at the man and rested his sword on his shoulder. "I'm not on anybody's team. Listen, in my life, I've only served under one person, and that's Princess Tomoyo!"

After Kurogane's victory, the gang collected their leader and fled the area. Masayoshi suggested that we do the same. Since Kurogane had been part of the fight, he could be held accountable for some of the damage. So we left before the cops could arrive, and after a short time walking the streets it grew dark and we decided to head back to Sorata and Arashi's place. I wanted to keep searching, but we had no leads and were needlessly expending energy at this point, so I agreed that we should head back.

Sorata and Arashi welcomed us back to their home, with Sorata's usual abundance of energy, and they started discussing Kurogane and Syaoran's kudan. I wasn't interested in the conversation so I headed up to the room Arashi had set up for me. I laid on the futon and let my mind wander until Arashi's muffled voice echoed up from the floor.

"You said that you detected the waves of Sakura's feather, but you don't know where it went?"

"Uh-huh." Mokona said.

"So if it were simply someone who had the feather and walked away, you probably could have easily tracked down where it went to. But if the one that had it could appear and disappear, the only thing that could have it is . . ." Her voice trailed off, leaving a moment of silence.

"A kudan! Is that what you mean?" Syaoran said.

That made sense. I'd seen Syaoran, Masayoshi, and Kurogane's kudan appear and disappear in an instant. If a kudan had the feather, then when they vanished they might take it with them.

After an hour of staring at the ceiling, I heard the voices in the house fall silent, so I assumed everyone had gone to bed.

I was extremely sleep deprived. My eyes felt sore and my thoughts kept bleeding together, so I decided I should actually sleep tonight. I unfastened my sword from my belt but kept it in my hand as I rolled over and closed my eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This is the updated version of chapter 3. 10/13/16

The walls were empty, the usual pictures and videos that would play on the glass walls of the living room blank and webbed with cracks.

Last time I was here, some of the pictures had still been visible past the static plaguing the glass, but now the damage was complete, not a single face or memory played on the walls. Dust coated the stained couches, draining away their once soft and inviting familiarity. Broken knickknacks and faded books decorated the dusty bookshelf. The lamp next to it shed no light, and it too had lost its warmth to the dust.

The windows were fogged, like a thick mist hung outside, and the dim light that seeped into the room only magnified the choking silence of the place.

There were three things I could do in this dream. I could climb the stairs, try the front door, or take the door in the back of the room. The stairs held no promise. I could climb them, but I knew I would have no hope of returning to what was at the top, so I never did.

The door in the back didn't exist in the real version of this this room. It was jarringly out of place between the bookshelf and the stairs. The door wasn't particularly menacing—it was a plain, white sliding door—but everything else in the room was either a warped copy of the real thing, or the same as I'd left it. This door didn't belong.

For a long time when I started having this dream, I would try the front door to find it fixed in place. It wasn't locked—the door or handles would have at least rattled—but it didn't budge in the slightest. It was the whole thing was a solid piece of stone.

I didn't bother with the front door. I turned away from the front door and walked to the door in the back, past the stairs, and gripped the handle of the sliding door.

It pulled open with a hiss and I was greeted by a stairway leading down. The shadows of the stairwell were darker than the light filtering in through the windows should have permitted, but nonetheless after five steps nothing more could be seen.

I started down the steps, my footfalls making no sound as I stepped through the doorway. Every time I had this dream I would make it a little farther down the stairs, and after so many repetitions it seemed like hours before I heard a faint voice behind me.

"Sis?"

I turned to see Nathaniel's silhouette in the distant block of light that the doorway had become. As usual I took a step back up the stairs, only to find that the steps had been disappearing behind me.

Then the door at the top of the stairs slammed shut and I was left in darkness with no way back.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I guess that nobody has their kudan out while simply walking." Fai said as we made our way down the street. We'd gotten up early again to continue our search for the feather. After breakfast, Sorata and Arashi had given us all a new set of clothes to wear. I got jeans and a T-shirt and brought my sword again.

"Even if we do find out which kudan has taken the feather," Kurogane said, looking around, "I doubt they'll be willing to give it up."

"I think we should look for Shougo," I said. "He was the only person we know who specifically had his kudan out during that fight. If we can cross him off the list, we can move on to the rest of his gang. That's better than wandering around and hoping for it to just walk up to us."

"That could work." Syaoran said.

Without warning, a figure stepped out of the wall we were walking next to. Syaoran, who was the closest, jumped and yelled in surprise. The boy, still halfway in the wall, bowed to him without a word.

I took a step back before remembering who this boy was. He was Masayoshi's kudan, which would explain why half of him was sticking out of a wall.

"Syaoran-kun!" Masayoshi called as he came running around the corner.

"Masayoshi-kun," Syaoran greeted him.

When Masayoshi came to a stop in front of us, he bent over panting. His kudan vanished into his chest as he caught his breath. "Were you able to find what you were looking for?"

Syaoran sighed. "Not yet."

"Okay, then. How about I be your guide again today?"

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Sure."

"I'm surprised you were able to find us," Fai said.

"My kudan can find anybody as long as he's met them once," Masayoshi explained.

"That's a handy ability," Syaoran said.

Masayoshi waved his hands. "But that's about all he can do. He's pretty weak."

"Would he be able to find Shougo?" I asked.

"Ah, there's an idea." Fai said.

Masayoshi shook his head. "Sorry, but I've never been close enough."

"Wouldn't be that easy, huh" Kurogane said.

I was distracted as a high whistling sound pierced the air. The others looked around, trying to find the origin of the sound. The System alerted me to source and I found it a half a second before the others did. An enormous bird was diving straight for us. The System drew a bright blue line across my vision, a prediction of its trajectory, straight to Masayoshi.

I grabbed Masayoshi by his sleeve, trying to pull him out of the way, but the second I got a grip on him, the gigantic bird kudan swooped down and grabbed him by the shirt collar, wrenching him out of my grip. He screamed as the bird rocketed into the sky. I was startled to see Mokona clinging to Masayoshi's shoulder, his eyes wide as they pair gained altitude.

"Mokona! Masayoshi-kun!" Syaoran shouted up at the retreating bird.

I reached for the holster on my hip where my gun would usually be, but as my hand closed on air, I remembered that I had lost them during the explosion at Adrian's facility.

An envelope fluttered down and landed at Syaoran's feet as the bird disappeared behind a skyscraper. He glanced down to the envelope, his brows furrowed. The envelope had music notes on a staff decorating the edges. Syaoran grabbed the envelope, tore it open, and read the note inside. He started, and I leaned over his shoulder to read it.

 _I'll be waiting at Hanshin Castle,_ curled across the page in long flowing script.

Syaoran turned to Fai and Kurogane and yelled in another language. Fai and Kurogane stared at him blankly as Syaoran continued and handed them the note.

I looked at Fai and Kurogane. "Did either of you understand that?" Kurogane and Fai gave me the same blank look as they gave Syaoran. I glanced back to Syaoran to see him wearing a matching expression. Fai and Kurogane began speaking other languages as well. Fai frowned and smacked the side of his head as Kurogane muttered under his breath.

"Well, this is fantastic," I said. _Why are we all speaking nonsense? Things were fine until a minute ago. Something has to have changed._

" _Mokona!"_ I said as the others said his name at the same time. We all nodded at each other in agreement. Syaoran looked around and ran over to a little shop on the street corner, and the rest of us looked at each other and followed. Syaoran was at the counter with the frog wallet Sorata had given us yesterday. He was glancing from the shop keeper to the wallet with a furrowed brow.

I walked to stand next to him, looking from the puzzled shop keeper to the item on the counter. It was a folded piece of paper. I picked it up and flicked it open, finding a web of lines. It was a map.

I set it back down and pointed to it, glancing at Syaoran with a raised eyebrow. He nodded, which I took as, _yes, I do want to buy this_.

I glanced at the register and pointed to the glowing green numbers on the screen facing us. Syaoran was from a desert country that was farther behind in technology than this one, so maybe he didn't know the price was displayed on the register.

His eyes widened and he nodded before digging around in the wallet and producing a few bills. The clerk nodded and swapped out the bills for change. Syaoran took the money with a small bow before taking the map off the counter.

He snapped open the map. After a few moments of pointing and babble we eventually found our location and after a few more minutes, Hanshin Castle. Syaoran went to run out of the store with the others but I put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him up short.

I pointed to the subway symbol on the map and he raised an eyebrow. I thought for a moment and then turned to Kurogane hoping he would remember our brief conversation about cars and that the new word wouldn't need translation.

"Car," I said while pretending to hold a steering wheel the way Sorata had.

His eyes lit up in understanding and he nodded. Syaoran and Fai frowned, glancing between us, but nodded in agreement.

A subway wasn't a car of course, but it was a faster mode of transport than walking, which was the priority.

We headed for the nearest subway and I soon saw a staircase leading under the street. I made a 'follow-me' gesture and ran down the stairs with the others behind me.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When our train pulled to a stop at Hanshin Castle Station, we ran out of the train and up the steps. Syaoran got to the top of the steps and pointed to our left at a path to the castle and babbled something. Fai and Kurogane tried to say something back with no luck.

We started up the path to the castle when Syaoran stopped and cried, "Mokona! Masayoshi-kun!"

I followed his gaze and saw Masayoshi and Mokona tied by their waists to the very top of castle, dangling under a fish statue that served as the roof ornament. Masayoshi was crying, hanging limply in his restraints. Mokona, on the other hand, laughed and swung around.

"How'd you get up there?" Fai asked with a wave in their direction.

Kurogane put his hands behind his head. "You look like you're having fun. At least the white thing does."

"Oh good. The babbling is gone," I said, nodding towards Mokona.

"So you understand me now?" Kurogane asked, glancing at us.

"Yes," I said.

Fai nodded. "I understand."

"Me too," Syaoran said. "So it _is_ Mokona that's doing it."

"Shall we, then?" Fai asked, pointing at the castle. Everyone nodded and we resumed our run towards the castle.

"Hey!" Kurogane said. "Does this mean that any time we get separated from it, we won't be able to communicate?"

"That's what it means." Fai said with a grin.

"What a pain!"

As we ran up the hill, a faint, steady rumble rose ahead of us, rising into a chaotic roar. When we crested the hill, we found the source. Hanshin castle loomed above a courtyard full of a sea of people. If you were looking from Hanshin castle, the hill we were on was to the right of the park.

They crowd stared up at us and rumbled among themselves. Black spectacles and bandanas adorned every member of the crowd.

What was it with the uniforms in this world?

"What's with these people?" Kurogane said.

Fai put a hand over his eyes to block the sun. "A lot of them, huh?"

Syaoran grabbed the note from his pocket, held it up above his head. "Who is the one who wrote this letter?"

"That would be me!" a female voice said to our left. We spun and saw a young woman with mint green pigtailed hair that fell down to her waist and round brown eyes. Little pink wings sprouted from the back of her pink dress. She leaned against a rail on one of the top floors of the castle.

The crowd of men below us erupted into chaos when she appeared. "Primera-chan!" they all said, waving their hands and beaming stupidly at the woman.

Kurogane grit his teeth. "Who is this woman?"

The crowd below us exploded in boos and hisses. Through their thundering I was able to make out a few things like: "You don't know Primera-chan? You must live under a rock! Primera-Chan is our idol! She sings! She models! She even has a morning talk show! More than that, she controls an incredible kudan!"

Syaoran ignored them and yelled up at the woman. "Please let Mokona and Masayoshi-kun down!"

Her eyebrows rose and her eyes widened. She pointed up to the swinging duo. "You mean that isn't Syaoran?"

"I am Syaoran," Syaoran shouted at her.

The woman spun on some men standing behind her and began beating them with a fan, "You idiots! You couldn't have been more wrong!"

Syaoran continued. "If you have any business, bring it to me. Let those two down right now."

She hopped down to the rooftop below the deck where she'd been standing. "Nope!" She winked, put one hand on her hip and pointed a finger at us with the other. "If you want them back, you're going to have to battle me for them."

After she'd struck her pose the crowd of men went into hysterics. "Primera-chan! She's so beautiful!"

"Shut up!" Kurogane snarled at the crowd of idiots.

Syaoran's gaze flicked up and down the castle. "We'll have to find a way up."

"I might be able to get up there," Fai said, pointing to himself.

"You know where the staircase is?"

"No, but I should be able to get there."

"Yeah?" Kurogane said. "How?"

Fai smirked. "My kudan may be willing to help." Fai took a step back just as an enormous, elegant bird appeared behind him with a roar of wind. Its lavender wings beat once, sending dirt flying into the air and wind ripping through my hair, before curling them around Fai as it faded away. In its place a sphere of wind curled around Fai, and he leapt into the air.

"He's flying!" Syaoran cried.

I kept my features schooled, but I was surprised. It hadn't occurred to me that kudan had abilities other than those of their manifested forms, or that they could enable flight.

Primera pouted and curled her hands into fists. "Man! He can fly? If I can't, he shouldn't be allowed to."

"This girl is already getting on my nerves." I said. Kurogane glanced over his shoulder, giving me a smirk.

Primera swept her right arm out and sang, "My kudan, come on!" A bulky microphone with speakers on the front swirled into her hand. "Now you'll see what kind of damage my kudan's attack can do." She winked and sung into the mic. "Is everyone... _Having Fun_?" The words literally sprang from the speakers, like giant block lettering barreling straight for Fai. He tried to dodge, I could see him drop a few feet, but he was too slow. The letters slammed into him, engulfing him in smoke with a resounding boom.

The System highlighted Fai's silhouette to help me keep track of him past the dust clouding the air. He got pushed back a few feet, but didn't seem badly injured.

"Fai-san!" Syaoran said.

"He's fine," I said.

"Eh?" Syaoran asked. He looked up and saw the smoke clear around Fai.

Fai smirked. "That was a surprise. This country is pretty amazing." Fai looked up to where Mokona was swinging. "You liked that attack, didn't you, Mokona?"

"Amazing! Amazing!" Mokona laughed, clapping.

Masayoshi's eyebrows furrowed as tears streamed down his face. "Primera-chan's kudan is special level! Be careful!"

"That makes me so frustrated," Primera said, waving her arms. "But, _you won't beat me_." More characters flew at Fai, but this time he swung out of the way.

Primera continued to scream more attacks, but every time, Fai dodged, flipping, twirling, and ducking away from her attacks.

Which meant my first assessment of Fai had been wrong.

At first, I thought Fai was just an average man. He didn't have the muscle mass of a fighter, and his clothes and speech implied a more scholarly background. His movements were always graceful, but he didn't have the muscle I usually associated with fighting, so I'd attributed his grace to dancing, swimming, or something of the like. What I hadn't taken into account was magic.

It was a simple concept now that I knew more about magic, but it hadn't occurred to me that magic didn't require muscle. With the exception of Kurogane's, all the kudan I had seen acted on their master's commands with the wave of an arm or a word. Taking that into consideration, and Fai's grace, it meant that the man could very well be fighter.

"Why? Why can't I hit you?" Primera said as Fai alighted on the roof below her.

"If I let you hit me, it might hurt." He shrugged.

"What are you planning?" Kurogane murmured, his gaze locked on Fai.

Syaoran shook his head. "We have to get to the top and get Masayoshi and Mokona down. We also have to help Fai-san."

Kurogane snorted. "You can leave him alone. He'll be fine."

Primera began yelling different tongue twisters and poems into her mic. " _The sixth sheik's sicko's ship' sunk! A tutor who tooted a fruit tried to tutor two doodoos to toot!_ "

Kurogane's eyes flicked back and forth, following every detail of the fight. "I've fought with kudan, so I know. Even if your kudan is able to fly, your muscles are your body's normal muscles."

"You mean the ability to float and dodge like he's as light as paper is Fai-san's own ability?" Syaoran asked.

"Ah," Kurogane's eyes narrowed. "Look at that damn grin. That man is a combat veteran."

"I imagine so." Syaoran's even tone surprised me. I glanced over at him.

"That doesn't surprise you?" Kurogane asked.

"There's a clue in the casual way Fai-san carries himself and the look in his eyes just gives you that impression."

The look in his eyes huh? Maybe Syaoran was more perceptive than I'd thought.

Kurogane glanced at Syaoran from the corner of his eye. "Maybe you're not a complete fool."

"But even if Fai is a warrior, I'd still like to help him out if I can."

Kurogane smirked. "But I'm right about you being a naive kid!"

This fight was taking too long. I glanced at the entrance to the castle. I could try getting into the castle and taking her out from behind, or getting Masayoshi and Mokona so we could just leave. But all I had was my sword, if she spotted me before I got to her, I had no doubt that any wall I tried to hide behind would be destroyed. If I had a gun, I could end this—No. This girl was an idiot, but just an idiot. She didn't have any truly malicious motive. Besides Nathaniel had made me promise to keep a more level head in these situations. Regardless, I would need to get a gun at the earliest opportunity. Would this world even have guns?

Before I could make a decision, Primera briefly stopped her attacks. "You forced me into it. Change!" She held out her mic, and it started glowing "When my kudan-chan becomes a mic stand there's no running away."

The mic glowed and stretched, and when the light faded, she gripped a mic stand. She sang into the mic. " _All the fans love me!_ " As she yelled, she swung the mic up and the characters shooting out of her kudan curved, following Fai as he tried to dodge.

A boom rippled the air as the letters found their mark. This explosion was bigger than the first and engulfed Fai in smoke. He fell from the air and into a tree, getting caught in the branches.

"Fai-san!" Syaoran said.

Syaoran ran over to the tree, but before he could do anything Fai waved him away. "I'm all right!" He stood up, singed and bruised but other than that he looked fine. Maybe the wind was acting as some kind of shield?

"I never expected it to change form." Fai's eyes narrowed as he smiled up at Primera. "And since this girl is fighting with her kudan, and Mokona isn't reacting it must mean that the girl isn't the one with the feather."

 _So that's why he was taking so long. Not only is he a fighter, he's a tactician. And he's been holding back this whole time._

Primera giggled. "Well? Do you surrender?"

"If I did, what would happen next?" Fai shouted, perching casually on the tree.

"Then I move on to defeat this 'Syaoran' guy!"

Fai put a hand on his hip. "We can't have that. Syaoran-kun has some important business to see through. I'd really rather that it ends with me."

"If so then I _will just have to win_!" A huge column of characters came rushing down towards Fai. He stood unmoving until the symbols were alarmingly close, then braced a hand on the column and launched himself upward, and sprinted up the column towards Primera.

Primera had time to gasp, and Fai came to a halt only inches away from her face.

 _He's fast._ The System informed me that he had run 26 mph, although there was the potential that his kudan had helped with his speed.

Fai tackled her to the ground, holding her hand with the mic away from himself, angling it towards the roof above them. "I don't want to be the cause of injury to a beautiful young woman. Won't you stop?" His voice didn't hold any anger. In fact, it sounded polite.

"Amazing!" Mokona cried as he swung on his rope.

"Th-this is so not fair!" Primera cried into her mic. The characters flew out of her mic and away from Fai, up towards the roof.

We all saw her mistake as the letters flew up towards Masayoshi and Mokona.

"Watch out!" Syaoran cried.

The characters didn't make direct contact with them, but they did hit the statue they were tied to. The explosion sent them flying down towards the ground, Mokona laughing. Masayoshi's kudan appeared and grimaced with the effort of pulling Masayoshi up, but it barely slowed them down.

I started to run, but I only made it a few feet before a looming figure appeared beneath them, safely stopping their free fall. Shougo's stingray cushioned their fall, darting away from the falling debris once they'd landed. It flew back over to the roof once the air cleared and placed them next to Fai and Primera.

The System directed me to Shougo's location. I turned to see him and his gang standing on a wall opposite the castle. Shougo's eyes narrowed into slits and he put a hand on his hip. "What do you think you're doing, Primera?"

"Shougo-kun!" Primera whined as she sat up.

Shougo's annoyed expression didn't waver. "You've got work to do, right? Don't you have a concert to prepare for?"

Fai helped Primera up as she started yelling. "I did it because—because you never come to see me!"

He never comes to see her? We'd been running around all day wasting our time because a spoiled brat wanted attention? Was everyone in this world so shallow and destructive?

Primera swung her mic around and pouted. "Besides, there's plenty of time! The concerts at the Hanshin Dome right over there!" She pointed back behind her.

"Even if it is," Shougo called, "why are you destroying our cultural heritage?" He pointed at the smoking top of Hanshin Castle.

Fai left Primera, largely unnoticed, and began floating back down towards the rest of us. Primera continued her rant. "You break buildings all the time, Shougo-kun! Don't talk to me all high and mighty!"

"What are these two squabbling about?" Kurogane grumbled and I could see Syaoran looked lost, too.

"They're arguing about him not visiting her enough or something," I said.

The crowd below us had gotten louder during Shougo and Primera's exchange. Fai walked over to the edge and peered down at the crowd. "Hm? What are you all crying over?"

"Primera-Chan's in love with that team leader, there!" One man cried and pointed at Shogo, "But since he never comes to see her, she's lonely!"

"How do you know?"

All the men in the crowd pulled out thick magazines with a picture of Primera on the front. "Because Primera-chan made it official!"

"See for yourself!" One of the men threw his magazine at us.

The magazine flew at my head but I ducked. Kurogane, a few feet behind me, caught it and flicked it open. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he either didn't see or ignored me.

Shougo held out a black apron he'd had in his hand. "I don't know about you, but I'm supposed to go to school and help out with the family business. I was in the middle of a delivery!"

"But I'm lonely!" Primera pouted and pointed to Masayoshi. "So I asked this guy you like over to see me, hoping he would join the Primera fan club, and while you visited with him, you could see me too."

"You're so dumb!" Shougo said, running a hand down his face.

"Syaoran! Syaoran!" Mokona interrupted, jumping up and down and waving his paws. But what caught my attention more than his frantic waving were his eyes. They were wide, his signal for a nearby feather.

"Mokona! Your eyes!" Syaoran cried.

"It's here! The feather is real close by!"

"Where? Who has it?"

"Mokona doesn't know, but Mokona just felt a huge wave!"

I started recalibrating The System, setting the audio to inform me of any abnormal sounds waves, and the visual system to scan for any objects that fit the feather's criteria. Nothing abnormal came up in the visional scan, and the only noise the audio scan found was the usual buzz of human voices and any nearby machinery.

"So some kudan has taken it inside itself," Fai said.

Kurogane shut the magazine and looked around, crossing his arms. "But it gets stronger and then weaker. What is that supposed to mean?"

Syaoran put a hand to his mouth in thought as he looked around. "Sorata-san said that kudan protect their owners. So probably, the time that it puts out its greatest strength is when it's protecting its owner."

"And that means," Fai said, "the way to find the feather is through battle."

"I'm sorry that my words caused unexpected trouble for you, Syaoran," Shougo yelled, interrupting our conversation. "But I do like your style. You're strong. And by that, I don't mean you got muscles, I mean right here." He pointed a thumb at his heart. "So I wanted to try to take you on with your kudan."

"Shougo-kun, all you care about are your kudan battles," Primera shouted. "You retard!"

"Don't say 'retard'!" Shougo snapped.

"I understand," Syaoran said as he stepped forward. His kudan appeared, flames roaring up from the ground until the wolf stood alongside him. The glow from the flames flickered across Syaoran's face, accenting his determined expression. "I accept your challenge!"

Shougo pulled his goggles over his eyes and turned to the men behind him. "You guys, stay outta this, got me?" His gang whistled in response, pumping their fists and crowing encouragement. Syaoran looked at his kudan, letting his hand rest on the wolf's back. "Like I said in my dream, I want power. Power to protect Sakura. You'll fight alongside me?"

The wolf nodded once.

The System hadn't found anything matching the feather yet, so it was either hidden, or I wasn't capable of detecting it. I decided to focus on the fight for now. If Fai was right and battle was the only way to find it, I didn't want to miss a second.

Shougo's kudan rose up into the air. "Ready?" he cried.

"Go!"

Syaoran's wolf launched a spiraling column of fire at Shougo's kudan, rolling heat waves across Syaoran and the surrounding environment, warping them. The stingray opened its mouth and shot a jet of water to meet the incoming attack. The attacks met in the middle, hissing and spitting as steam boiled explosively into the air. The pressure of the air and water expanding so quickly sent a shock wave through the yard. That, and the stray jets of water and curls of fire blasting across the space, sent rocks flying into the air.

"Watch out!" Masayoshi screamed.

Syaoran's head snapped up and his eyes widened at the sight of a stone plummeting towards his head. He leaped, spun, and threw a kick at the descending rock, breaking it in two with a resounding crack.

I blinked. Syaoran had just broken a rock. With his _foot_. Syaoran either had some serious martial arts training or magic was once again interfering. Maybe a combination of both? And wasn't Syaoran an archeologist? Why would he have any training in combat?

"Syaoran-kun is pretty cool," Fai said, watching the fight with his hands tucked into his pockets.

"So he's more than just a pliable fool," Kurogane said, giving Fai a pointed look. "You both have faces that say, 'ignore me, I'm a fool!' But I see through it."

"Yeah," Fai said. "It seems like he's more than just an archeologist. He's still very young, but young people can come through their pain. And I believe he has. I'd say he's not much different from you, Alice." Fai turned to smile at me.

I flicked my gaze up from the fight to meet his. I didn't smile back. My eyes remained cold as I stared back at him. He was too perceptive, but I didn't care what any of them thought of me. As long as they didn't get too interested in Nathaniel.

Kurogane huffed and looked at me, too. "He's right. I haven't seen you in combat yet but you have a sword, and I see it in the way you walk and look at people." His eyes narrowed as he held my gaze. "You're always watching the crowd, but the white thing already said your brother isn't here. So what are you always looking for?"

I returned his stare in silence, letting a moment pass. My face betrayed nothing, and when I spoke my voice was neither cold nor welcoming. "When I can explain things to you all," I nodded at Syaoran, who had landed in a crouch next to his kudan, "I may let you know the answer to that question."

Kurogane glowered at me and held my gaze for a few seconds before huffing and turning back to the fight. Fai glanced between us before shrugging and turning away as well.

"Mokona!" Syaoran yelled. "Can you feel the feather's presence?"

"The feather is there, but Mokona doesn't know who has it!" Mokona cried from the roof.

Syaoran didn't reply, but he held out his left hand towards Shougo and gripped the elbow of the outstretched arm with his free hand, bracing it. Fire coiled around it and then exploded from his closed fist, flying directly at Shougo.

Shougo's kudan blasted a wall of water in an attempt to stop the oncoming fireball, but it was useless. The fireball punched through the wall of water unfaltering. Shougo started, but didn't have time to dodge the attack. The burst of flame burst feet in front Shougo and his kudan, exploding with a burning roar and knocked Shougo off his kudan and into the air.

"Shougo-kun!" Primera screamed.

The kudan recovered, darting under Shougo and turning to water to cushion his landing. The kudan lowered Shougo to the ground. He was drenched, but jumped down, uninjured. "Oh man!" he cried. "That was the first time I've ever been hit like that."

"Shougo-kun!" Primera said.

"I'm fine!" he snapped. "I told you to stop screaming my name."

"Wh-who ever said I cared what happens to you?" She shrieked, waving her arms. During the fight, Primera's fans had retreated from the courtyard and perched in the trees surrounding the castle. They held binoculars and watched her every move with giggles and gossip.

Shougo returned his attention to Syaoran and grinned. "You're a tough one."

Syaoran had his left arm held out towards Shougo, a determined look on his face as he waited for his opponent's next move.

"Kudan are controlled by the heart," Shougo said. "What is it that makes yours so strong?"

Syaoran's expression remained stoic. "I have something I must see through."

"That makes sense."

Shougo's hand shot up, his kudan darting to hover above him. "Ready?" he yelled. The kudan's mouth opened as on orb of water bloomed, suspended in its jaws. "Go!" The orb of water broke, sending a tsunami slamming into the courtyard. I glanced from the ocean drowning the courtyard to the orb of water suspended in the kudan's jaws. The amount of water pouring into the yard and slamming into the walls was far more than the size of the orb could have permitted.

The ground shook under the three of us as Syaoran disappeared beneath the churning waves. For a few seconds, all I could see was the violent waves crashing against the edge of the wall a few feet away from where we stood. But then steam rose from the place Syaoran had been, followed moments later by a fierce hissing as the sea boiled and spat.

When the torrent of water was reduced to a shallow puddle, it revealed Syaoran standing in the same place he'd vanished. He wasn't even wet.

A crack rang through the courtyard and I spun, looking up at the castle. The System highlighted the various angles of the structure, as a sentence appeared in the upper right hand corner of my vision, telling me what I'd already guessed. The top half of the castle had taken serious damage, and now the structure was collapsing. "Watch out!" Syaoran yelled, his voice nearly lost in the shudders of the collapsing building.

Masayoshi, Mokona and Primera stood stranded on the second lowest roof, with the top half of the castle folding on top of them.

"Primera, your Kudan! Destroy the debris!" I yelled. If she could divert the castle's collapse, or at least minimize the debris, they could escape.

Primera shrank into a ball, Mokona clutched in her arms, either unable to hear me or unwilling to act. Masayoshi gaped at the oncoming building, but pulled himself out of his stupor and threw himself over Primera and Mokona.

The snaps of the crumbling castle rose to a deafening thunder as the upper structure fell down onto them.

But before they could be crushed, the castle top halted, hanging suspended above their heads as silence replaced the building's groans.

The cluster of stone and wood hung suspended feet over Masayoshi and Primera's heads. Bits of lumber and rock clattered onto the roof around them.

Wind blew through the courtyard, tearing at my hair and pushing me back a step, originating from the looming figure that had appeared next to Hanshin Castle. A giant hand lifted the chunk of building and dropped it onto the ground. A resounding boom filled the air.

Masayoshi's kudan had grown taller than the castle and stood silent, staring down at him. Its blank face and empty eyes contrasted sharply against its usually warm features. The silence of the entire courtyard amplified its strange stillness.

Mokona jumped from Primera's arms. "Mokona found it! The feather. It's in that kudan!"

"Did I hear right? The feather's in _that_ kudan?" Kurogane asked. I glanced down at Syaoran. He turned away from Shougo, his gaze fixed on the kudan.

Fai put his hands on his hips. "I think I understand. Even when he used his kudan to find us, Mokona didn't detect it. The time when it needs the most power is when it's protecting someone it cares about from a life-or-death situation. The last time Mokona detected it was also when Masayoshi was in a dangerous situation, when they were falling. Even now, it's trying to protect him from the crumbling castle."

The kudan bent down, scooping Masayoshi into its hands. Primera yelled and beat her fists against the hand the hand that was twice her height. The kudan stood straight, gazing blankly ahead for a few seconds before opening its mouth and taking a deep breath, the sound like wind howling through a forest. As the noised died down, a beam of light burst from its mouth, the kudan's eyes glowing as the beam flew over our heads. It scraped what remained of Hanshin Castle, sending flames curling up where the beam touched, and hurled Primera and Mokona off the roof.

Shougo's kudan shot over our heads, its master crouched low on its back. He dove beneath Primera, catching her and Mokona before shooting off, away from the beam of light.

The kudan's beam of light held strong continuing and humming as it started walking away. Masayoshi yelling at his kudan as it lumbered away into the forest, setting fire to the trees its attack touched.

Fai floated down to where Syaoran stood watching the retreating giant. Kurogane and I jumped down a moment later. "What's wrong with that kudan?" Kurogane asked.

"The feather had too much power for it," Fai explained. "That kudan has more power than Masayoshi can control."

Kurogane looked at Syaoran. "What'll you do now?"

Syaoran walked towards the rampaging kudan with his flaming wolf at his side. "I'm going to get Sakura's feather back."

"Yes, but how are you going to get to it? Unless you kudan can fly, you're stuck on the ground," I said crossing my arms.

Syaoran glanced down at his wolf who returned his gaze before nodding.

"Well, then," I muttered.

"How do you intend to fight something that big?" Kurogane said. "One slip up and you're dead."

"I still have something to see through. I can't die yet."

Syaoran and Kurogane stared at each other for a moment, something passing between them. Both of their stares held the weight of people who knew what it meant to have others depend on you. That kind of weight changed things. Sometimes it made the most terrifying challenge the easiest thing in the world. Sometimes it made easy, everyday tasks, impossible. I had a feeling Syaoran was using the first of the two.

"Mm. Count on Kuro-pi to handle things here. You go ahead," Fai said.

"What do you mean, me?" Kurogane said.

Syaoran smiled. "Then I'll see you later." He broke into a sprint with his kudan at his side.

Fai watched him run off. "Syaoran-kun has strength. In a lot of different ways. I get the feeling that I understand why that fire kudan came to him."

We watched silently as Masayoshi's kudan burned through the forest, its progress slow but steady.

A few moments later an explosion erupted from the rampaging kudan's feet. The giant lurched to a stop, its head turning to look around at the ground. There was a moment where all I could hear was the distant roar of the fire and the faint snaps of breaking trees.

A burst of fire shot into the air in front of the kudan. The curl of fire hovered in front of the kudan as the giant's eyes focused on it. A closer look revealed that the ball of flame was Syaoran cloaked in fire.

"Hey brat, can you hear what's going on?" Kurogane asked.

I glanced up at him before returning my gaze to the fight. "No. They're out of my range. But I can see. Syaoran is aiming for the kudan's chest. There's something shimmering there."

"That's probably the feather," Fai said. "He's going to have to get pretty close to get it."

Syaoran darted forward, closing the distance between himself and the kudan's chest. Fire erupted around Syaoran, a brighter red than his own. The flames seemed to war with each other, growing higher and brighter around Syaoran as the second ticked by.

Then there was a flash, and Masayoshi's kudan fell, shrinking back to his normal size. Syaoran held a bright light in his hand.

"He's got it." I said. _Finally we can be done here._

The wolf darted under Masayoshi and his kudan, halting their fall as Syaoran floated back to earth with them. Shougo flew over and raised a hand, sending a deluge of rain to cover the burning park and street.

We ran to join Syaoran as he got to his feet and beamed down as his closed hand. Despite his singed skin and bruises, his face didn't hold a hint of pain.

"I was able to get one back for her." He muttered.

"Impressive, Syaoran-kun." Fai said.

Syaoran grinned at him before he started, turning to Masayoshi, who was standing by Syaoran's wolf a few feet away.

"Are you alright?" Syaoran asked.

Masayoshi nodded, his face crumpled and threatening tears. "I'm fine. Are you okay? I'm so sorry."

Syaoran gave him a warm smile. "Don't apologize. If you hadn't made that final push to help me get the feather, I might have lost. And we wouldn't have found it in the first place if it wasn't for you."

Although Syaoran's tone was warm and genuine, I noticed his free hand tapping the side of his leg. He was itching to leave.

"I still think I owe you an apology, but I can give it to you later. That's what you've been looking so hard for right?"

Syaoran nodded. "Would you mind if we…"

"No. Go on, I'll find you later. Don't let me hold you back."

"Thank you."

We picked up Mokona from Primera and made our way back to the subway, with Syaoran taking the lead. He ran all the way to the subway and twitching with energy as we waited to get to the right stop. The whole time he had the feather clutched protectively in both hands.

When we finally got off the subway, he sprinted off towards Sorata and Arashi's. We followed him, but he got there about thirty seconds before we did. We saw him give a hasty greeting and explanation to Sorata and Arashi, who were outside cleaning the front yard of the apartment building, before careening into the house. I heard him thundering up the stairs as Fai, Kurogane and I followed him.

We walked up the stairs and made it to the doorway to see Syaoran clutching Sakura's hand, his brows drawn together as he smiled down at her.

The feather was gone, so I assumed Syaoran must have returned it to her already. Sakura's skin was still pale, but as a few seconds passed, color crept across her cheeks and her breathing deepened slightly. Her heartbeat also picked up, beating a healthier pace.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she blinked, her eyes staring empty ahead. Syaoran's face lit up. "Sakura!"

She looked around the room slowly before her eyes settled on Syaoran, her gaze unfocused. "Who... are you?"

I heard Syaoran's breath catch. He closed his eyes for a moment, schooling his anguished features and setting her hand down.

"I'm called Syaoran," he said with a careful smile. "And you... are Her Highness, Princess Sakura. If you'd be so kind as to listen, I'll explain. You are a princess from another world."

"Another... world?"

Syaoran nodded. "And at the moment, you've lost your memories. You're traveling between worlds to find them."

"By myself?"

"No, you have traveling companions."

"Are you... one of those?"

"Yes."

Sakura tilted her head. "You're doing this for a total stranger?"

Syaoran's calm wavered for a second before he composed himself. "I am."

Fai stepped into the room and smiled at Sakura. "Princess Sakura," he said with a bow. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Fai D. Fluorite, at you service." As he stepped past Syaoran, he touched his shoulder. Syaoran took the gesture and stepped out of the room as Kurogane followed Fai inside. "And may I present — "

Kurogane spoke up, giving Fai a pointed look. "I'm Kurogane."

I leaned against the doorway. "I'm Alice."

"And this cute, fluffy one is Mokona Modoki!" Fai held out a waving Mokona. "But you can just call him Mokona."

Sakura's eyes grew a little brighter as she spoke with Mokona. As they chatted, the rest of us stepped back out of the room and watched Syaoran step outside into the pouring rain. His back was to the house and shadows clung to him, hiding his eyes. The rain soaked him almost immediately, his shirt hung on him as water streamed down his shoulders and fell from the tips of his fingers.

We walked over to the window, Kurogane and Fai leaning on the wall to either side of it. I knew that the fact we were now out of Sakura's range of hearing wasn't an accident.

"At that moment," Fai said as we watched Syaoran from the window, "I was sure he would cry. It seems that Sakura-chan is the most important person in the world to Syaoran-kun. So when she said, 'Who are you?' I felt certain he would cry. I wonder if he's crying now."

"Don't know," Kurogane said. "But if he wants to keep from crying, he'll just have to get stronger. Strong enough so that he won't be the one crying in the end."

"Yeah..." Fai murmured. "But I also think there's a certain strength in being able to cry when you should."

Outside, a giant dragon and an equally giant bird silently faded into being, shielding Syaoran from the rain, while a wolf of flame stood beside him.

I stepped back into the shadows of the house. I turned the corner and sat against the wall in the hallway and just listened for a while, letting my gaze land against the wall opposite me.

So Sakura, my fourth traveling companion was awake. And Syaoran was devastated. I suppose I should've expected it, it was 'the thing he valued the most,' but I couldn't completely grasp his reaction. She was awake and alive wasn't she? The past might have been gone, but they had the future to rebuild some of it. Sure, there was something precious that could never be reclaimed, but that was life. You lose things, and you take the blow and stand back up, keep walking. Or you stay down and let life leave you behind. But maybe this was how Syaoran took the blow. Maybe this was how he got back up.

In the other room I heard Sakura's soft voice. "While I was sleeping, I wonder if someone was holding my hand, it felt so warm. It was nice."

And I heard another voice echoing from my own memories.

"You've made your choice. Now accept it fully and know you will never have the right to cry again."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is the updated version of chapter 4. 10/24/16

 **One year ago.**

I stepped into the section of the complex I shared with Nathaniel. There was only one door to the area, and only Nathaniel, Adrian, and I had clearance to enter it. Anyone else would be met with an alarm, and me. Most of the people who worked in the facility shouldn't be able to access this floor. I quietly closed the door behind me and announced, "I'm back."

The living room's carpet and ceiling shared warm brown hues, and the glass walls played stylized ocean waves in shifting blues and greens. The windows were one-way, so people on the outside couldn't see in, but it still let sunlight through during the day, and I could see out into the rest of the city far below. We could see Elpedite's shimmering blue and silver businesses and houses stretching into the night. The sky was black, the misty lights of the city shielding the stars from view. The only lights in the sky were several airships and one of the atmos-cities drifting across the night.

Nathaniel sat in a cushy chair by the window, curled over the screen in his lap. Upon my announcement he looked up, and a grin spread across his face as his eye met mine. I returned his smile. The familiar stab of guilt and fury I felt every time I saw his eyepatch didn't make it to my face.

He unfolded from the chair and set his screen aside, running over to give me a hug. "Finally! It feels like you've been gone forever."

I returned the embrace, beaming down at him and ruffling his black hair. "I know. Sorry. Haven't Mika and Rutile been keeping you company? And I hope you didn't follow Rutile's plan to flood your classroom's sink with soda and mentos."

He pulled away, but gripped my hand and led me back to the windows. "Nah. Mika talked us out of it. How'd you know?"

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. And Mika called to tell me. But of course I wasn't going to get back in time to stop you, so I left it up to him."

"Well he did a good job of it. He distracted Rutile with a game of chess. Besides, I was too busy reading. Did you know about the ancient city of Whe'na?"

"No, I don't. What makes it so fascinating?" I asked, pulling up a chair beside Nathaniel's as he dropped back into his.

"Well, not a lot is known about it. Most of what is known comes from the building some archeologists found on Ugein Island." Nathaniel tapped the screen a few times before turning it to me. On the it was a picture of an ancient stone building with arched doorways, rounded rooftops, worn spiral patterns carved into the walls, and one tower at the top. Trees grew up the sides, their roots choking the crumbling stone. The sky was a deep grey with plateaus visible as dark silhouettes on the horizon.

"What is it?" I asked, resting my chin in my hand.

Nathaniel pulled the screen back, tapping it a few times. "No one's a hundred percent sure, but they think it was a town hall of sorts. They've found evidence of all sorts of things inside: libraries, royal chambers, and crypts." His bright blue eye darted across the screen. An excited smile crept up his cheeks as he listed off the strange building's rooms. "It was built like it was the center of a city, but there aren't any signs of the rest of it. It's like all the buildings and people just vanished. Even the crypt was empty, no bodies anywhere, only empty tombs."

I was quiet for a moment after he fell silent. "How busy is that place? It must attract a huge amount of tourists." I didn't expect it to, actually. I just wanted to confirm my suspicion. If the place was nearly abandoned, maybe I could get us a visit there.

"That's actually the really weird part; not a lot of people go there. It was never a very popular subject in the news, and it was too hard to build any sort of tourist attractions there, so it's mostly untouched."

"Hmm." My gaze wandered over the article on the screen. "Would you like to go there?"

He snorted. "Of course! That would be amazing! Imagine what I could find." His smile faltered as he spoke. He tried to hide it, but I caught it.

"Then I'll try to get us a trip there," I said, standing up and pulling off my coat.

"What?"

"I'll ask Adrian about getting us a visit."

"But that's— Adrian wouldn't— "

"Why not?"

Nathaniel froze, his smile creeping back. "You think you can?"

I crossed my arms and stared at the wall. "I can try. And I _think_ it will work."

A weight fell against me and I looked down to see Nathaniel hugging my side. "Thank you."

I snorted. "Remember that when I tell you this: bed time."

"Aw, come on! It's only ten."

"And you have math in the morning. Bed," I said, turning him around to face the stairs.

"But you only sleep for like, four hours."

"I have a computer in my brain. You don't."

"Fine," he whined, right before trying to turn and duck under my arm.

I tripped him, catching him in my right arm before throwing him over my shoulder. "Again: computer in my brain."

"Ugh." He went limp. I carried him up the stairs and into his room, dropping him on the bed. He rolled off and grabbed his pajamas from the drawer. "Will you walk me to math tomorrow?"

"Sure. If I can," I said, tapping his windows. The glass turned black, blocking out any light. Nathaniel put on his pajamas and jumped into bed. I threw his covers up over his head before he huffed and pulled them back down, shooting me a look of mock irritation. "Love you. Goodnight," I said, going to the door and tapping the wall to shut off the lights.

"Love you too."

As I stepped back into the living room, an alert flashed in the upper right corner of my vision. Adrian wanted to see me. I sighed, glaring at the floor as I shrugged my jacket back on. Hopefully whatever he wanted wouldn't take long. Shutting the lights off as I went, I exited. After pulling the door shut behind me, I waited a moment. A click echoed down the hall, confirming it had locked.

My footsteps echoed against the silence of the smooth, white halls of the facility. "I'm headed for the hundred and tenth floor," I said.

"Understood," The sterile voice of the building's AI replied.

As I passed the door to Nathaniel's classroom, a _ding_ announced the arrival of the elevator at the end of the hall. The doors parted. I stepped inside, and they slid shut behind me. Machinery whirred as the elevator rose. The number 110 scrolled across the screen in the top right corner of the elevator.

The elevator slowed to a halt and another _ding_ rang out. As the doors parted I stepped out, past two masked soldiers on either side of the doorway. They both held new TER guns, full gear, and stood rooted to the floor. They faced away from the elevator, and as I walked into their field of vision, the soldier on the right's heart rate rose. _She must be new._

The glass covered walls of the entryway, playing gold and blue spiraling patterns, slowly flowing across the room. The gleaming white floor and ceiling contrasted against my black boots, the black receptionist desk, and seats lining the walls. The receptionist's eyes glanced up to meet mine before darting back to his work. The doors to Adrian's office were closed, but I pulled them open without a word of protest from the receptionist.

Silently, the office doors swung shut behind me. The far wall of the office wasn't a wall, but a single giant window. The dim lights of Adrian's office let the glow of the city light the ceiling. None of the wall art of the entryway played across the blank white walls.

Adrian sat in his desk, silhouetted against the dotted lights of Elpedite shining behind him.

"What do you want?" I asked as I approached his desk.

He tapped the screen in front of him, not glancing up as I sat down in one of the chairs facing his desk. I glared at him and waited for him to finish the paperwork he was working on. As he tapped his screen a final time, he sat back and the dim glow it cast on his face faded away. "Hello, Alice. Thank you for joining me." He gave me a smile, his green eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that radiated warmth.

"I don't enjoy your jokes. _What_ do you want?" I grit my teeth.

His warm smile vanished and a cold smirk replaced it. "To speak with you about the future."

"Couldn't this have waited until tomorrow?"

"No. I had time now, so now we'll talk." His smirk remained frozen in place. "You've been going to the west mostly, and within certain areas of Elpedite, but I'm going to be sending you north more. You will start training with Amale and her team starting tomorrow at eleven PM in area seven to prepare. Your sessions with Fare and the others will be canceled. You've moved beyond them anyway."

My eyes narrowed. "What about with you?"

"You'll still train with me every third week."

"Good."

"That was all. You can leave now." He turned back to his screen.

"Actually I have something I would like to discuss," I said, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees.

"And what would that be?" he asked without looking up.

"Nathaniel and I would like to visit some ruins within the next few weeks. The ruins of Whe'na on the island of Ugien."

There was a moment of silence as Adrian's fingers ran across his screen, presumably checking out the ruins and island. "All right. You can go next week. I'll prepare everything soon."

"Are you really going to make this that easy?" I said, a sneer pulling at my lips.

Adrian turned to look at me, his smirk still in place, but steel behind his eyes. "Yes, I am. I remember the _conversation_ we had. We resolved this then. Don't waste my time or my patience. Leave."

I rose from the chair, locking stares with him for a moment longer before turning away and exiting the room. I passed the receptionist and guards and entered the waiting elevator.

"Floor one hundred," I said.

"Understood, Alice."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 **Present.**

"Masayoshi-kun, I really want to thank you," Syaoran said.

We were back at the okonomiyaki restaurant at Masayoshi's request. He'd figured out that we'd be leaving and had shown up this morning with his kudan to ask if he could take us out to lunch as a goodbye party. We'd agreed, but left Sakura with Arashi since she was still falling asleep unexpectedly. This included during dinner last night, when she'd accidentally used her bowl of rice as a pillow.

I sipped from my glass of water and absently watched Mokona once again go after Kurogane's food. Oddly enough, Kurogane seemed less irritated this time, and although he glared, he actually engaged the creature in a mock sword fight with their chopsticks.

Masayoshi sniffed. "Both my kudan and I—We're always so weak, so—so—" He brushed a tear away. "I'm glad you were able to get the feather."

"You aren't weak," Syaoran said, his voice firm. "Strength and weakness aren't measured only in battle. Going out and doing your best for someone else's sake is a wonderful sign of strength."

Masayoshi blinked away the rest of his tears and smiled. "Thanks! Thank you."

"Yo," a voice said. I turned to see Shougo waving as he walked over to our table. His gang, following behind him, poured into the restaurant and started filling every empty table. Mokona took advantage of Kurogane's distraction and snatched the okonomiyaki they'd been battling for. "I'm glad my team gets good intelligence," Shougo went on as Masayoshi scooted over to make room for him on the bench across from Kurogane, Fai, and me. "I'll have futa-modan," he called to the blond waiter from the other day.

"Of course, sir," the man said. "One futa-modan for this gentleman, Your Majesty!"

The voice of the waiter that looked like Syaoran's king snapped across the restaurant. "I told you to stop that!"

Shougo turned to Syaoran. "Nobody got wounded, right?"

"We're fine," Syaoran said. "I'm sorry to have interrupted our battle."

Shougo smiled. "It's okay. It was the only thing you could do, circumstances being what they were."

A distressed squeak drew my attention and looked over to see that Kurogane's miraculous patience had apparently evaporated. Kurogane grinned as he dangled a squeaking and flailing Mokona over the grill.

"Besides," Shougo said, his voice falling to a more serious tone, "I was losing that battle anyway." Shougo's men erupted into boos and taunts, filling the restaurant. It was interesting that Shougo knew when to admit his loses. I still thought the street brawl enthusiasm of this world was reckless, but maybe Shougo did have a certain honor, like Masayoshi said. But regardless of who was winning or losing, the fight had been unnecessary once we found out Masayoshi's kudan had the feather. If Syaoran and Shougo thought finishing the fight would be polite or something, I was glad circumstances forced them to cut it short.

"Oh shut up!" Shougo said, cutting off the jeers of his gang.

"Alice-san?" Fai asked.

"Yes?" I asked, turning to him.

"I was wondering; do you have a kudan? I haven't seen you use one."

I frowned. I hadn't thought to much about it, since magic was still so alien to me, but I couldn't think of an obvious reason I wouldn't have a kudan. "No, I don't. Why do you ask?"

"Just out of curiosity. It seems strange that a kudan wouldn't appear for you, but the rest of us all found them. Do you have any idea why that would be? And you haven't had any strange dreams, have you?"

It was odd that I didn't have a kudan when that seemed to be one of the rules of this world. Was a special dream necessary to get a kudan? If it was, that would explain it. I'd only slept that one night. But the dreams seemed more like side-effects than the cause. And the only dream I'd had was a familiar one, without any mysterious beasts.

I frowned and ran my thumb over the edge of my glass. "No, I haven't had any odd dreams. And I'm not sure why a kudan hasn't come to me."

"Hm." Fai rested his chin in his hand. "You said magic didn't exist in your world, right? Maybe that has something to do with it."

"Maybe." If magic somehow didn't work the same with me as it did with the others, whose worlds were built with magic, that could explain it. But if that was the cause, then how could I travel with it? Maybe that wasn't the issue at all; maybe there was a reason unrelated to magic that I didn't get a kudan.

After the meal, Shougo, Masayoshi, and the rest of us left the thunderous buzz of the restaurant to find a quieter space to say goodbye. Syaoran stood with Masayoshi and Shougo, saying his farewells as Kurogane, Fai, Mokona and I waited a few feet away. Syaoran smiled warmly as he shook Masayoshi and Shougo's hands before walking over to join us. He turned to beam at Masayoshi. "If we make it back here we'll be sure to visit, okay?"

I turned away as Fai gave a wave, and we started back to Sorata and Arashi's place.

"Take care!" Masayoshi cried as we turned the corner.

Starting a brisk pace, I left the others behind as they stopped to admire the shops. I wanted to get away from the others for a while and get my mind in order. My gaze locked on the ground as I made my way through the crowd.

The dream I'd had the night before last unsettled me. I hated that dream, even more than the painful ones I'd had. I couldn't tell exactly why, but it always left me with a hollow feeling in my chest. Like something creeping through my veins from my core into the rest of my body. I'd been able to ignore it yesterday with all the chaos, but today left me with more time to think.

Slowing my pace, I worked over my thoughts and emotions. The dream had upset me. If I let this continue, it was going to distract me from more important things and I needed to get it under control.

I stopped, my gaze flicking away from the ground, to the crowd around me. I was letting it distract me right now. The System could scan for Adrian, yes, but the cameras were in my eyes, which meant they could only see what I could. I'd just been staring at the ground for ten minutes while dozens of people had walked passed me.

This was idiotic. I took a deep breath and as I let it out I pushed aside the gnawing hollowness, the anger. If my mind was clear, I could focus on what was important: finding Nathaniel and avoiding Adrian. I couldn't allow these useless emotions to rule my head. Anger could fuel my fights, and a certain sense of unease could alert me to dangerous situations. But none of those feelings had any use here.

I let cold focus crawl across my mind, freezing anything that could distract me.

After organizing my emotions, I returned to Sorata and Arashi's home. I nodded a greeting to Sakura and Arashi as I headed to my guest room. I found my clothes folded where I left them and changed back into them. I wanted to be ready to go when the others returned.

As I fastened my sword back into place, I wondered if I could get a gun here before we left, or at least a knife, but I dismissed the thought. It would take too long to find either now, and I wasn't sure if this world had guns. But if I got into a fight where the enemy used distance to their advantage or had a gun of their own, I was going to need one. I could ricochet bullets with my sword, but I couldn't deflect them back at the enemy with guaranteed precision. And if I was caught unprepared, I wouldn't have a chance to get my sword in position to block the bullet.

A knife and gun would also be necessary if I ran into Adrian. I suspected he knew how to disarm me if I used my sword, so I needed a backup. Even if I didn't have the time to find anything in this world, any world I could imagine, no matter how primitive or dependent on magic, must have knives, right?

I folded the clothes I'd borrowed and placed them on the floor. As I straightened I caught sight of myself in the mirror on the wall across from me. Blue flickering in my eyes. The System analyzing my own reflection. I glared at myself for a moment before turning away and going to the small balcony that overlooked the apartment front and bustling street to wait.

Seven minutes later, the others filtered out of the crowd and into the yard, Fai and Syaoran chatting while Kurogane followed behind. I left the balcony and returned to the kitchen, where the others had stepped in and were talking with Arashi and Sakura.

"Tell me when you're ready to go," I said as I walked past them and into the yard. Outside, I leaned against the side of the apartment and watched the crowd. The people moved past the building in a constant stream. Two school girls around my age walked passed, giggling as they flipped through a magazine. A father held his bawling daughter while the child's mother tried soothing her. A man in a suit power-walked, checking his watch as he swung his brief case.

The people here weren't so different than the ones from my world. The girls in Elpedite would be giggling over something on their screens rather than a magazine. The parents would still be fussing over their child, and the man who was late to work would still be checking the time. But the same feeling of distance was here as well. The girls, the family, and the working man all seemed far away somehow. The girls whose only worries were school, family, and other basic things . . . I couldn't imagine what it would be like to live so simply. And the parents with their daughter— what was it like to be confident you would always have that? The confidence that they would always have each other, that they could raise their daughter and watch her grow.

Looking at them felt like looking at the stars.

Sakura drew my attention as she wobbled out of the doorway, along with Syaoran. He held her arm, gently guiding her. Fai, Mokona and Kurogane followed behind them a moment later. Everyone was back in the clothes we started our journey in. Sorata and Arashi came out next and I pushed off the wall to join the group.

"You're going already?" Sorata asked, looking disappointed.

"Yes," Syaoran said, his voice kind, but firm.

"But you haven't tasted all the cooking me and my wife can make," Sorata wailed as Syaoran returned the frog purse to Arashi.

Sakura blinked, staring at the ground as she wobbled for a moment. But Fai noticed and took her arm with a smile, steadying her. I returned my attention to the passing crowd, half-listening to the others' conversation. I didn't need to focus on the people myself, just make sure the cameras could see them.

A disc of spiraling colors bloomed beneath my feet, making me jump. I glanced over to see Kurogane's eyes locked on mine. He'd been watching me observe the crowd. He was probably going to ask about that again soon, and I doubted he would take another 'wait until later.'

Mokona rose from Syaoran's shoulders as wings sprang from his back. "Thank you so much for everything!" Syaoran shouted as the wind rose, threatening to consume his voice.

"For what?" Sorata asked with a smirk. "We didn't do anything special."

"I pray that you find one of Sakura's feathers in your next world," Arashi said.

Then Mokona's mouth gaped open, and Sorata and Arashi vanished along with the rest of their world in a swirling blend of color.

Whatever this was, traveling between worlds, dimension, or planets, was just as disorienting as the first time. I held my arms out and shifted my legs in an attempt to right myself. Colors flowed around me, making it impossible to decide what was truly up or down. I managed to spin myself into what I hoped was an upright position.

I half turned to see the others falling through the vortex of hues with me. We all fell a few yards away from each other, except for Syaoran and Sakura. Syaoran had an arm securely around her waist.

When the stream of colors pulled apart beneath me, I was ready. Until I saw the crowd of gaping up at us in shock before they started scrambling to get out of our way. As they cleared, a dusty dirt road, cloth stalls, and crates of fruit filled our landing space. I grit my teeth as I realized this was going to be rough, and potentially messy.

I bent my legs slightly and kept my hands out, doing my best to brace for the landing. I dropped onto one of the crates with a crunch, the wood breaking beneath me as I let my legs bend, cushioning my impact but sending me butt first into the crate behind me. The crack of more breaking crates announced the others landing next to me, as slivers of wood scraped my face and a persimmon bounced off my head.

I sat up and brushed the wood chips from my hair, looking around. Fai and Mokona laughed, stuck in crates of their own. Syaoran and Sakura stared, bewildered at the chaos we'd made. Kurogane wiped some fruity mush off his face, muttering to himself.

The crowd that had cleared as we landed quickly reformed, gathering around us with alarmed stares and hushed whispers. I pushed myself out of the crate I'd landed in and flicked my gaze over the crowd. No sign of Nathaniel or Adrian. I sighed in a mix of relief and frustration. It was exhausting looking for the both of them constantly, and I had only been to one world before this one. They could literally be anywhere. Which made nowhere safe, for me or Nathaniel. Adrian's presence loomed behind every door and amidst any crowd.

An even spread of men and women surrounded us, but some of the men shot dark glares at us and brandished long poles. There were stalls lining the dirt road, selling fruit, fish, clothes, jewelry and other wares I couldn't identify. No buildings loomed above us, and no sidewalk lined the road. The street lights and flashing signs I was used to were gone. I listened and found no hum of machinery. In its place was the aggressive buzz of the crowd.

I flexed my hand as I resisted the temptation to grip the hilt of my sword. If anything could diffuse the aggression of the crowd, going for my weapon was not it.

One of the men in the crowd towards us, and my gaze met his. "Who are you?" he barked, leveling his staff in our direction.

"Huh?" Kurogane said. "What is it now?"

"Wow!" Fai said. "I think we're the center of attention."

"We're visitors," I told the man.

A towering man stalked toward us through the crowd as they hurried out of his way. He glared down at us, his wide shoulders stiff, small eyes narrowed, and a frog-like mouth curled into a sneer. "Who the hell are they?" he demanded. "And where did they come from?" He breached the distance I would define as friendly, and his pace wasn't slowing. His tensed shoulders and quick pace exuded aggression as he reached out towards Sakura. I took a step sideways to intercept him, but before I could get around the crates, he'd grabbed Sakura's arm.

Syaoran shot up immediately, leaping from a sitting position to deliver a flying kick to the man's face. The crack from the blow rang through the now silent street as the man stumbled back. Syaoran landed, placing himself between the man and Sakura, glaring.

Fai and Mokona laughed, and Kurogane gave a snort of approval. I eyed Syaoran. Something about the way he'd moved was familiar, but I couldn't figure out what.

"You think that was a good idea, kicking me in the face?" the man yelled, blood streaming from his nose. I stepped around the crates, making sure they were out of my way if the man tried anything else. I usually wanted to maintain a certain peace with strangers, and I could let a few things go to maintain it. But when I met someone like this, who clearly wanted a fight, it was best to establish dominance from the start.

The man took a step forward. I spaced my feet a little farther apart, setting one farther forward then the other, and lifted my back heel off the ground. But before he got too close, a girl's voice thundered across the street. "Stop right there!"

I followed the voice to a rooftop across from us. A young girl sat on it, her arms crossed, a livid expression on her face. She had long dark hair, pulled up in a ponytail, and she looked about thirteen years old. "If you don't want to be kicked," she said, "don't go attacking people at random, you stupid little boy!"

"Chu'Nyan!" He spun on her. "Who are you calling stupid?"

The girl stood up, putting a hand up to shield her eyes and mimed looking around. "I don't see anybody stupider than you."

"You little . . . " He clenched his fists. "You insult me? I am the only son of the Ryanban-sama, the master of the country of Koryo, including the town of Ryonfi!"

I couldn't follow some of what he said, but if he was furious over a little girl and throwing his title around, then I knew the type of man this was. He was nothing I needed to worry about.

"You may call him Ryanban," the girl said, "but less than a year ago, he was just a wandering shinban magician."

"You dare put down my father?" the man howled. "Do you know the punishment for opposing the Ryanban, Chu'Nyan?"

The girl opened and shut her mouth as her face crumpled, and she grit her teeth.

"I claim the right of retribution for these insults!" the man said as he and the hostile members of the mob retreated. "Just be prepared!"

We'd kept quiet during the altercation, but as soon as the man disappeared behind the crowd, Syaoran turned to Sakura. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Sakura said with a smile. "Thank you."

Syaoran returned the smile, but sorrow crept along the edges of it. Kurogane and Fai pulled themselves out of the mess of crates and fruit, and we all stood to form a circle once they were free. "Well," Fai said, watching the retreating mob over his shoulder, "it looks like we created trouble immediately after our arrival."

"Syaoran was great!" Mokona cried excitedly as he copied Syaoran's flying kick.

Syaoran smiled, but his gaze fell to the crates we landed in. He started. "Ah!" He looked around and spotted a man picking up some of the fruit. "I'm sorry." He started picking up persimmons and righted one of the crates we'd knocked over. "You meant to sell these right?"

"It's all right. It doesn't seem like you meant to," the man said, waving away Syaoran's apology. Sakura followed Syaoran, picking up the fruit. Fai quickly joined her.

"Mokona will help too!" Mokona cried as he skipped over to retrieve a persimmon.

"Come on Kuro-pin, Alice-san, you pick them up too." Fai waved Kurogane and I over.

"Ugh! What a pain! And why does she get a proper name?" he asked, stomping over.

I hesitated, but started collecting the scattered persimmons and returning them to the functional crates. I threw a glance over my shoulder and spotted the girl from the roof a few feet away, folding crumpled blankets from one of the stalls we'd damaged. I turned back to our group as I returned another armful of persimmons and spotted Sakura slumped against a crate, blinking sleep from her eyes.

"Those are weird clothes!" a yell made me jump, and I spun to see Chu'Nyan staring at Syaoran, who stared back with a baffled expression.

Fai burst out laughing and pointed to Kurogane. "She called them weird. She must've been talking about your clothes, Kuro-rin."

Mokona jumped onto Fai's head. "Kurogane's weird!"

"If I'm weird, then so are you!" Kurogane snapped.

Chu'Nyan took a few steps closer, regaining my attention. "You people . . . are you guys . . . " She stared at us for a second. Then she darted over to Sakura, grabbed her wrist, and started towing her away from us at a run. "Come with me!"

Syaoran jumped. "Wait a moment!" He dumped his armful of fruit into a crate as he scrambled to sprint after them.

"Are you kidding me?" I said and ran after him, along with Kurogane and Fai.

"We're busy all ready," Fai said.

"This is _such_ a pain!" Kurogane growled.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The girl led us down several streets before darting into a simple wooden building with a tile roof. We followed and found ourselves in a sparsely furnished room with wooden floors, sliding paper doors, and spacious windows.

Chu'Nyan sat Sakura down across from her, and when Syaoran entered, she commanded him to do the same. Now she just sat staring at them. Fai inspected a small mirror on a shelf, a hand on his chin as he angled it around the room. Kurogane stood by the door, testing how far he could stretch Mokona's face as the creature refused to drop the subject of his 'weird clothes.'

I waited by the door, watching all of them in confusion before Syaoran spoke. "Um . . . Where are—?"

"My house," the girl said, staring at him intently.

"Why did you suddenly—"

"Don't you have something to say?"

"Okay, kid. What do you want?" I said, crossing my arms and glaring at the girl.

She leaned forward and glanced between me, Syaoran, and Sakura. "You don't have anything to say?"

"Besides 'Would you get to your point?' No."

She glanced between me and Syaoran once again before she sighed and sat back. "Now that I think about it, children like you couldn't be Amen'osa could you?"

Sakura rubbed her eye. "Amen'osa?"

"The Amen'osa are a group of agents that the government sends around the country. They know that some of the Ryanban are acting only in their own self-interest in the regions they control. They know some people are oppressed. So they travel about the country with a mission to right those wrongs."

Mokona leapt from Syaoran's head with a yell. "It's Mito-Komon!"

The girl eyed Mokona and leaned away as the creature babbled to Syaoran. "I've been wondering this for a while, but . . . what is that thing?" she asked.

"Mokona is Mokona!" Mokona sang as he sprung toward the girl. She fell back in surprise, gasping as Mokona fell on her with a laugh.

Fai sat down next to her. "Just think of Mokona as a mascot. So you think we're this Amen'osa of yours . . . um . . . "

"Chu'Nyan," the girl supplied as Mokona jumped off her.

Fai smiled and pointed to himself. "My name's Fai. This is Syaoran-kun, Sakura-chan over here, over there is Alice-san . . . "

Kurogane glared at Fai, guessing what was coming. "And finally," Fai continued, "This is Kuro-puu!"

"That's Kurogane!" he barked.

Fai ignored him and returned his attention to Chu'Nyan. "So you wish that these Amen'Osa would come here. And if you want that, you must think this leader of yours is a bad man."

"He's the worst," she growled, gritting her teeth. "He took my Omoni . . . my mother, and . . . "

Took her mother? As in killed or kidnapped her? If it was the latter, then it would be odd for Chu'Nyan to be defying them so boldly. Her actions made more sense if her mother had been murdered. Her behavior in the market was rash if the man and his father had the power they claimed. Which would make sense if she was a grieving child with no parents to hold her back. Rage and grief could be difficult to control at that age.

My jacket collar fluttered, and slapped my cheek, distracting me. I frowned and folded it back down, but felt a breeze tugging against it and my hair. I turned to look outside and saw a ring of dust dancing up around the house as the windows and doors of the home began to rattle.

"Is that the wind?" Fai asked as the window panes shivered in their frames.

"Everybody stay inside!" Chu'Nyan yelled as the house began shuddering and groaning.

The front door stood open, shaking as the gale tried to rip it from its track. I lunged to pull it shut, slamming it into place as a clay pot, hurled by the wind, shattered against it. I dropped low, keeping a hand against the door as the house shuddered around us and the wind rose to a scream.

I looked over at the others to see Fai snatch Mokona out of the air and Syaoran pull Sakura to the floor, shielding them from the flying debris and slivers of wood. After a solid minute of bits of the house flying off around us and tiles being snatched from the roof, the wind vanished, leaving a ringing silence.

I stood slowly. The window frames bared jagged shards around the sills like teeth. The sections of paper on the sliding doors had either vanished or had gashes torn through them. A hole gaped through the roof as a single tile fell through and shattered on the floor.

Fai rose, his smile gone. "That was no natural wind just now."

"It was the damn Ryanban! He's the one who did it all!" Chu'Nyan yelled, clenching her fists.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After we helped Chu'Nyan sweep out her home and hang blankets across the bigger gaps in the walls and windows, she invited us to spend the night. We accepted. Sakura and Chu'Nyan sat in the corner, chatting away despite Sakura periodically starting awake after nodding off. I sat with the others by the door. They'd been talking about fixing the roof in the morning when I broke in on the conversation.

"Mokona, is my brother here?"

Mokona leapt from Syaoran's shoulder to mine and closed his eyes. "Sorry." His ears drooped and he shook his head. "He's not here."

That hollow feeling in my chest twisted, but I clamped down on it, refusing to let it grow. "All right."

"Hey," Kurogane said, and I looked over to him. "That thing I mentioned in Hanshin Republic, about you watching people. We're all here now, so do you want to explain?"

"I have to admit, I'm also curious," Fai said. Syaoran eyed me with raised eyebrows, but waited for me to explain.

What to tell them? It was a difficult question. How did I explain? I reminded myself they didn't need the full story. I needed to tell them the truth, but only the core of what they should know about Adrian. That simplified things.

"I'm looking for a man named Adrian. If he finds me or Nathaniel, it's very likely he'll try to kill us, and he's not the sort of person who will let go of something once he decides to do it." I said.

"What?" Syaoran gasped. "Why? How could he find you?"

"And what did you do to piss him off?" Kurogane asked. Fai frowned but said nothing.

I looked at Syaoran. "Adrian was the man who found magic in my world. He's also the one who created the explosion. I saw him get thrown by the blast before it reached Nathaniel and me. He must have been sent to another world, as well. I won't tell you why he wants to kill us."

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "You seem to be hiding a lot, brat."

I leveled my gaze with his, letting some ice creep into my eyes. "Yes." I turned to Mokona. "Would you be able to tell me if Adrian is in this world, like you can with Nathaniel?"

"Do you know Adrian's full name?"

"No. And I doubt Adrian is his real one."

Mokona shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't do it without that."

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. "Okay. Thank you."

"Well," Fai said, "if you tell us what he looks like, maybe we can help keep a lookout for him."

"Yes," Syaoran said. "It'll be safer with more eyes watching."

I frowned. Why would they offer to look for him? Maybe they didn't want to get caught between Adrian and I. That could be part of it, but after Syaoran made so many friends in two days, and Fai's patient kindness despite the risk to himself during our time in the Hanshin Republic, that attitude didn't seem to fit them. At least for Syaoran and Fai, they might genuinely want to help me. And if I had them looking with me, I couldn't think of a downside. We were stuck traveling as a group, so more eyes watching for Adrian would make everyone safer.

"All right," I said. "He's about Fai's height, maybe a bit taller. He has short blond hair, green eyes and a scar above his right eyebrow. He's charismatic, and can paste on the perfect smile at any point. He's in his fifties, but due to my world's medical progress he looks more like he's in his late twenties. He was wearing something that resembled Sorata's suit when I last saw him, with a longer, black coat and spiraling white patterns on the sleeves and neckline, but he could have changed into something else by now."

"And what should we do if we see him?" Fai asked.

"Just point him out to me. If it is Adrian, I'll take care of it." I didn't want them getting in the way or letting Adrian know they had any connection to me.

"It's like eye-spy!" Mokona exclaimed as he launched off my shoulder and back onto Syaoran's.

"The last thing you should know is important," I said. "It'll help you spot him, and let you know why you should avoid him."

The others perked up at this. I ran a basic scan of the house, blue lines and angles spreading across my vision. I wanted to remind them what this looked like. "If you see him, a sure way to know it's him is to look into his eyes. You'll be able to see a red light. Like me, with the System showing up in my eyes as blue lights."

Syaoran's brow furrowed. "Does that mean he also has the System?"

"Not exactly. Adrian does have a version of the System, but his was created before mine. The System I have is designed to be inferior to his. My System is called the ALICE System, like I told you in the Hanshin Republic; Advanced Limb Interface Control Engine."

Kurogane's eyebrows shot up, and Syaoran blinked, but Fai nodded like he'd expected it.

"So it was named after you?" Syaoran asked.

"No. Alice isn't my real name. My world named me after the ALICE System, so it's the alias I took."

"Let's back up a second," Kurogane said. "You said your ALICE System was inferior to his. That means your System is weaker on purpose?"

"Correct."

"Why would you get a weaker version?" Kurogane asked. "If this Adrian guy is so dangerous, why would you want a weaker System than his?"

"I didn't."

Kurogane glared, irritated with my terseness, but I stood before he could ask any more questions. I fully intended to tell them the truth, but only the truths I wanted to disclose, so yes or no questions would make things difficult. Besides this conversation had already gone further than I'd have preferred. "I'm going for a walk." I opened sliding door of the house, stepping out into the dark streets.

"W-wait!" Syaoran called. "What if you get lost or another magic attack hits?"

I glanced over my shoulder. "I'll be fine. The System will remember the layout of the city. And I don't think I'm a target at the moment." I let my eyes linger on Chu'Nyan for a moment, then walked out into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** This is the updated version of chapter 5 as of 4/5/17. I'm not really happy with this one, but I've let it hold me up long enough. Chapter 6 should be update soon.

* * *

 **Seven years ago**

When Nathaniel was five, and I was twelve, I realized how this life was affecting his development. He had nannies, but they were always replaced every other month.

I stepped into our home as the nanny rose from the couch. I nodded to her as Nathaniel dropped his toy elephant and ran to me. He hugged my knees and pulled me back towards the toy-strewed carpet. I snorted. "Sure. I'll play."

"Nathaniel, do you want to tell your sister how you've behaved?" the nanny asked, sending him a raised eyebrow.

Nathaniel didn't even glance at her. He picked up a soft frog and dumped it into my hands as I took a seat next to him. I sat, staring at my brother as he played with his toys. The nanny repeated her question more insistently, but her voice sounded distant, like she was on the other side of a thin wall. Nathaniel continued to play with his elephant, ignoring the woman. Something clicked.

"Nathaniel?" I asked.

He looked at me with a curious smile. I frowned and turned to the nanny.

"Is that what you're talking about? Him ignoring you?"

Her gaze darted from me to Nathaniel. "Yes, miss."

I looked back at Nathaniel. This was the nanny's first day, and usually I had to let them know that Nathaniel wasn't going to respond to them much. Nathaniel only responded to his care takers when the matter was important.

But it _was_ odd.

I glanced back at the woman. "Um . . . "

"Sylvia, miss."

"Sylvia, what age to children usually start talking?"

She hesitated. "One, miss."

I flinched. _How did I not know that? Why didn't I notice?_ He had plenty of children's shows, ones that taught kids letters and numbers. I had assumed Nathaniel would pick up on it. The nannies had tried bringing his silence up with me, but I shut them down. I was arrogant, refusing any help from them, determined to raise Nathaniel myself. Now he was behind and it was my fault.

My face twisted as panic flooded my veins. "Please leave." Sylvia nodded and left, the door beeped as it shut behind her, confirming her exit.

"Nathaniel, come on, we're going upstairs." I plastered a calm smile back on my face as I took his hand. The thought of bringing Nathaniel upstairs with me was revolting, but the idea of leaving him with a nanny after this revelation felt even worse.

I helped Nathaniel into his shoes, bright pink ones with blue cartoon cats animated on the sides. He smiled as the cats ran across the edges of the soles, and I noticed his eye patch had slid onto his nose.

Ignoring the guilt bubbling up inside me, I reached out and readjusted it. Nathaniel watched me, his smile gone and his expression on the verge of worried. I reinforced my smile, refusing to let him see my worry, before poking him on the nose. "Boop."

He giggled and pushed my hand away. My smile grew a fraction more genuine as I pulled him back to his feet and we left for the elevator. Nathaniel's curiosity drew him to the elevator buttons. He stepped toward them, hands outstretched to press as many as he could, before I grabbed his hands, spinning him around.

"Jump when I do," I said as the elevator slowed. I knew Nathaniel wouldn't get the timing right, so I grabbed him under the arms as the elevators momentum slowed abruptly. I jumped, letting the momentum carry us higher than we could on our own. He giggled as we landed with a thud.

We stepped out of the elevator and past the soldiers. I stopped at the receptionist's desk. "Is Adrian here?"

The man's gaze flicked up, then away. "He's on the training floor."

Another elevator ride later, during which Nathaniel pressed two extra buttons and we repeated our jump, we got to the training floor.

A boom echoed through the sterile room as we entered. Adrian's arm swung back in a blur, returning to his side after delivering a blow to his sparring partner. The man stumbled back, coughing and clutching his throat from the hit Adrian landed with his false knife.

Adrian let him retreat from the match as he turned to face us. A smile spread across his face as he panted.

"Hello. What are you both doing here?" He slipped the dull knife into his belt, striding past his scientists and assistants to us.

"I needed to talk to you about Nathaniel." I said, a sneer curling my lip despite my effort to suppress it.

"What about him?"

"He's five. He should be talking by now, shouldn't he? And ignoring his nannies isn't normal either, right?"

"You're right. A child with normal development should be speaking and responding now." He grinned, putting his hands on his hips. "But what do you want me to do about it?"

I stopped fighting my sneer. "You tell me. You're the adult here."

Adrian knelt, getting closer to Nathaniel's level. Nathaniel's grip in my hand loosened as he tried to pull away, but I gripped him tight. He was safest near me.

"Well, he doesn't have any other children to talk to," Adrian said, eyeing Nathaniel, "but there is a program that might help. It's the Children's Development and Interaction program. It's supposed to help children learn to interact with others after traumatic experiences."

"He doesn't need therapy; he needs friends."

"Exactly. Here." Adrian waved a hand, gesturing one of his assistants over and took a screen from him. He tapped it a few times before handing it to me. On it were a series of children's faces, all with a name and a number beneath.

"What is this?" I asked, scrolling down the sea of young faces. Each photo was different, a girl sitting in a park, a boy holding up a crude painting, a girl who's cheeks were bright from cold.

"They're children who've been donated, in a way. Every child on that screen is dead." My gaze snapped up to meet his, but he continued. "Their parents decided to donate scans of their brains and personalities to construct AIs to help this program's cause. Like a memorial to the children almost."

I stared at the faces of the dead kids, trying to wrap my head around the idea of letting Nathaniel talk to digital echoes of people. It was wonderful, the perfect answer to my problem. But it was horrible, holding the echoes of children in limbo, using them as easily as copy and paste. But I didn't have any other options.

"How does this work?" I asked, looking back to Adrian.

"You can pick one or two of them: I recommend two. I will have them installed onto the computer of your home and screens. They will look exactly like normal children, but they'll only show up as projections in your home and images on your handhelds." Adrian tapped the screen, bringing up a photo of a see-through child, a soft glow surrounding them as they stood in a living room. "They won't have their actual AI personalities for a few weeks, but a therapist-like setting to get your brother accustomed to them. After that though, he can talk to them and play with them like normal children, only immaterial."

I nodded slowly. "I'll pick two by tonight."

"All right." Adrian said, standing up.

I turned to leave but Adrian's hand on my shoulder stopped me. "I have something to tell you." His voice lowered, more serious. I faced him and waited, bracing myself for what his tone implied. Red danced across Adrian's eyes as he smiled down on me. "You remember what this is?"

"Yes."

"You're going to have surgery in a few weeks to get one of your own."

My hand, despite holding Nathaniel's, felt like ice. Everything he'd been doing for the past two years was starting to come together. I'd suspected it for months now. I was growing ignorant of the normal world, but not stupid. All the constant training, the _choice_ , and now this. It stripped away what little hope I'd been clinging to, desperately hoping I was mistaken, but this took away my last sanctuary of denial.

Adrian watched me with a cold look, letting me piece it together before he spoke. "You understand. And you've been getting closer to the truth now. I suspect you know what's coming now." He knelt down again, looking me in the eye. "You'll need to stop this pathetic game you're playing and _let go_." He watched me for another moment before standing and walking back onto the training mat. "I'll speak with you again later."

I turned and walked back to the elevator, Nathaniel's hand in mine and the other gripping the screen. I didn't let myself think on the revelation. That would come later, after I was out of Nathaniel's sight. Numbness crawled across my mind as I leaned against the elevator wall. I couldn't find the motivation to stop Nathaniel from pressing every button he could reach.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I chose Mika and Rutile to be Nathaniel's new friends. They'd both died when they were seven, so a little older than Nathaniel, but that might be best. I didn't want the equivalent of two more chaotic children for the nannies to babysit. A child that was older would have more maturity, if only a little, but not old enough to be distant from Nathaniel.

I didn't look into their families or how they'd died, just stuck to their ages and personalities. Tapping the screen, I sent Adrian my decision as Nathaniel played with his toys on the carpet. One hour later, a panel opened on the glass wall next to me. The message 'to the guardian' scrolled across the dark square in soft white letters.

I stood from the carpet and walked over to tap the panel. The panel split, and two faces stared at me from the wall.

One was a boy, Mika. His hair, the color of a starless sky, fell to his shoulders. His warm eyes matched his chocolate skin and thick eyebrows. His calm smile, and eyes held a maturity beyond his age. The other face, Rutile, was a girl with pale skin, a mess of freckles and choppy short blond hair. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Hello," they said in unison, "are you the guardian of Nathaniel Velafied?"

"I am. And you're Mika and Rutile?"

"Yes, we will now temporarily shut down our therapy setting and introduce ourselves."

Mika blinked and gave me a warm smile. "Hello, I'm Mika."

I watched him, trying to see past the screen to the boy this was supposed to be. "Hello, Mika. I'm Nathaniel's older sister."

Mika nodded. "So is that Nathaniel?" Mika's eyes moved to look over my shoulder.

"Yes, that's him. So can you tell me what you're like?" I still watched the boy's eyes, realizing that the question of these children's minds would haunt me.

Mika shrugged. "Well I've been told I'm kind, calm, and I've heard 'mature for my age' pretty often."

"Hmm." I said, and looked to Rutile.

"Heya," she said, grinning.

"Rutile, right?"

"Yep, otherwise known as trouble. But I'm tons of fun. Nathaniel will have a great time when I'm around." She grinned, joy glittering in her eyes.

"I hope so. So, you should meet him now. You'll be returning to you 'therapy settings' for a while, right?"

Mika smiled softly. "Until Nathaniel is prepared for more natural child interactions, yes."

"Okay. Go ahead then."

Mika and Rutile's images vanished, and behind me a light flickered on. I turned to see two glowing figures, Mika and Rutile, standing in the room. Nathaniel froze, toys forgotten, and stared in confusion between the two children and me.

I knelt beside Nathaniel. "Nathaniel, these two are here to meet you. They want to be friends."

Mika knelt beside us, smiling warmly at my brother. "Hello Nathaniel. My name's Mika. It's great to meet you."

Rutile joined us, wearing a matching, plastic smile. "And I'm Rutile. Would you like to play?" Rutile held out a hand, and bubbles sprang from her palm. They were projections, like Rutile, but Nathaniel stared at them and reached out to grab one. It popped when he touched it and he laughed, reaching out to grab more of them.

I smiled, feeling some of the darkness lift from me as Nathaniel laughed. Despite my unease, I'd made the right decision. He'd needed this.

Getting to my feet, I left Nathaniel to get acquainted with his new companions. In the kitchen, I sat down and took a deep breath. I needed to start thinking about Nathaniel more. I was busy but that was no excuse. I was his big sister and I needed to take care of him. This antisocial issue wasn't his only problem, he needed school and hobbies too. I would need to ask Adrian about that.

My screen buzzed and I glanced down, a small seed of dread appearing in my core, and pulled the device from my pocket. A black box of text informed me that Adrian wanted to see me.

In the other room, Nathaniel laughed, but the sound did nothing to drive away the return of the dark weight in my heart.

 **Present:**

There was a stillness to the night here I'd never experienced. A hush of human voices and crackle of fire replaced the roar of machinery. I walked down what I supposed was this world's equivalent of an alley. The back of wooden stalls and shops faced a narrow dirt road. The buzz of crowds slipped through cloth walls as shadows played across them and smoke rose from the chimneys.

There were plenty of torches and fire pits here, and I hadn't found a single electrical light. As I passed a man pulling a wooden cart, I realized, with some bemusement, that this world likely didn't have electricity at all. Which was terribly inefficient, considering all the manual labor and fuel everyone was burning to perform simple tasks that machinery could complete in less than half the time.

I'd chosen an alley to avoid the main street. Too many strange people and stares greeted me on the more crowded roads.

The System followed the lines of the streets I walked, calculating the lines and angles to formulate a map. I kept my back to the towering castle in the center of town in an attempt to find my way out of the maze of stalls and houses.

Eventually the alley gave way to small, dark houses. Then they grew sparser until I passed a dilapidated shack, the last structure before an open field. Knee-high grass stretched far into the distance, broken by the occasional grove of trees, until it met the mountains on the horizon. The moon hung above them, shining along with millions of stars.

I knew the city lights of Elpedite hid most of the stars, and so had the lights of the Hanshin republic, but I hadn't imagined that stars, not outshined by a city, looked like this. They scattered across the atmosphere like gleaming dust, shining white and blue.

Nathaniel would have loved to see this.

The grassland extended into the night without a sign of anyone else. I took a few steps before increasing my pace to a run. The grass hissed against my legs and boots as I left the town behind.

Setting myself at about ten miles an hour, I ran for at least twenty minutes, changing my pace as I needed. The System kept track of my heart rate and breathing, informing me of suggested corrections with a flash of small blue letters in my vision.

I slowed to a stop, panting as I looked back at the town. Dim lights flickered among the shadowed structures. The castle crouched above the other buildings, a shadow blocking the stars. A gentle breeze tugged at my hair and ran across the grass, rippling the field like the sea.

I stood, gazing into the night, and letting my breath return to normal. After a moment, I pulled off my jacket and laid down in the grass.

I was the only one out here, and the solitude helped me relax just a bit. Only the call of insects reported any life. The isolation guaranteed Adrian wouldn't be able to hide amongst a sea of faces, and I doubted he would wander out into a grassland.

The stars blinked at me as I stared at them, blades of grass brushing my face. Nathaniel's absence pulled at the edges of my thoughts, but I refused to let it pull me down. Tomorrow I would fight whatever battles needed to be won to keep moving, but until then there was no point in exhausting myself. Instead, I could order my thoughts.

The first unknown: what was so familiar about Syaoran's movement? Was it the speed of his strike, the arc of his leg, his stance? None on their own reminded me of any style I'd seen before. I plucked a blade of grass, keeping my fingers busy. So if it wasn't an individual component, that meant it must be the whole. Looking closer hadn't led anywhere, but what about an even larger picture? If I looked even farther than the fight, at Syaoran's movements in general. The way he walked, the way he moved . . . nothing I thought of told me anything. Until I thought about the way he turned to talk to me.

When he spoke to me, his head was angled a little farther to his right than necessary. The same way Nathaniel tilted his head.

 _Syaoran is blind in his right eye._

It explained his sudden movement back in the market. He wouldn't have had a clear view of the man grabbing Sakura until she yelled.

I dropped the blade of grass, my frown deepening. The information was important, but I didn't know what to do with it. Syaoran seemed to be functioning well enough on his own. I made a note to watch for it in the future though. If I spotted an obvious weakness due to the issue, I would need to let him know.

I stared up at the stars, my mind falling silent for a brief time. But I couldn't keep order for long. A thought drifted through my head, persistent and scratching.

 _These people are good people. And I'm not._

Syaoran was a boy simply trying to help his friend. Fai seemed goodhearted, willing to help out if he could. Sakura's gentle demeanor could be contributed to her condition, but that was probably just her personality. Kurogane's behavior clouded my perception of him, but he hadn't done anything blatantly bad. He postured and pouted, but in the end he willingly helped Syaoran without any true malice.

How long would I be able to maintain the appearance of being a normal girl? I'd already come off as strange, but I knew something about the way I saw the world was skewed. Adrian had gotten what he wanted, and for the past few years I'd gone numb. The things that used to tear at me barely crossed my mind anymore. I wasn't any better than Adrian.

But the hardest part was I didn't even know what was wrong. I didn't have an example of what a normal mental state might be. Regardless, I had no doubt something about me was fractured, like a broken bone that healed wrong, and that the others would find out what, even if I didn't. But hopefully, by then I would have found Nathaniel and we could stay at a safe world while the others moved on.

I sat up and sighed. I didn't know why I was hung up on this. All I had to do was travel with them until I found Nathaniel. Simple.

I stood, pulling my jacket back on and ending the pointless line of thought. I started back, sprinting back through the sea of grass to the flickering town. It was time to get a knife, and I knew how to get one for free. I didn't feel like trying to figure out this world's money system or worry about getting any.

Wading back into the maze of houses and low hanging smoke, I weaved back to one of the darker alleys I'd passed. I stopped at the start of the narrow street, looking around before unfastening my sword and climbing onto a crate against one of the shadowed buildings. I reached up, placing my sword on the roof before jumping back down and making sure it was out of sight.

Satisfied, I tucked my hands in my pockets, hunched my shoulders, and kept my eyes on the ground as I started down the alley.

Piles of garbage littered the edges of the road and thin, weak light occasionally flickered through the back of the buildings and onto the alley walls. I slowed when I passed the huddles of people leaning against the walls. But despite some dark looks and hushed mutters, they didn't stop me.

I was going to turn back when three more men came into view. I slowed again, but this time I got what I wanted. One of the men stopped talking to his companions when he saw me, leaning away from the wall to get a better look at me. "Hey, isn't she one of the foreigners from this morning?" he asked his friend. The man turned to look at me, along with the third man. A series of low mutters passed between them before they broke from the wall and blocked my way. "How about you come with us to see the Ryanban? I'm sure he'd love to talk to you."

I stopped, my gaze flicking over them before remembering I was supposed to be meek and cast my eyes at the ground. These men must have been part of a gang, or just the Ryanban's underlings. They wore borrowed power like a medal, and their crooked smiles and awkward stances, which were probably supposed to intimidate me, seemed comical in their incompetence.

"I'm not looking for trouble," I lied. "Would you mind letting me pass?" I held out my arms in a show of civility, and to keep a barrier between myself and any swung fists.

The man scoffed. "No, bitch. You'll be coming with us. If you behave we won't beat you to badly" He took a casual, unworried step towards me, hand outstretched.

I took three measured steps back, letting the man distance himself from his allies. I tilted my body, holding my left arm slightly closer to him and keeping my right one angled behind me. The man took my suggestion and latched onto my left arm.

He'd done exactly what I'd wanted, leaving his right side open and undefended. I broke my performance and pulled my left arm to the side, yanking him off balance while I slammed my right fist into his face.

He let go, staggering back a step and blinking as the System flickered on. I step forward, spun, and swung my foot into his head with a crack. He crumpled to the ground as his friends yelled, pulling knives from their shirts and running forward.

I sighed, relieved that this world used knives and not magic. I spun, running back down the alley and looking back at my pursuers every few feet. When one of the men outpaced his companion by several yards, I spun, skidding to a stop. He sprinted towards me and pulled his knife back. His form was pitiful. He broadcast his movements so early it would have left an amateur with plenty of time to block or move. This would have been easy even without the System. A blue arc curled across the space in front of the man: The System highlighting the blade's path.

I leaned back, as the man's knife hissed across the space I'd occupied. He slashed two more times before I caught his arm. I latched onto his wrist and kneed him in the stomach as I curled his hand in on itself, forcing the blade from his grasp.

I gripped the blade, flipped it, and slammed the hilt into his head, dropping him.

His companion filled the space he'd left, swinging at me in a horizontal arc. I flipped the knife again, blade out, and caught his blow on the blue path he'd projected. The metal screamed as the knives clashed before I stopped their momentum.

The man blinked at me as his arm shook, trying to force mine into yielding. "But you're just a kid! What the— Blue— Your eyes? What's wrong with your eyes?" His face contorted as he looked into my eyes.

I took advantage of his bafflement and drove my fist into his nose. He gasped and stumbled back, his hand shaking. I kicked the knife from his grasp, sending it bouncing off the side of a wall and onto the dirt.

He stared at me for a second, blinking and trying to dam the flow of blood from his nose. I waited to see what he'd choose. I had what I wanted, so if he wanted to leave, I had no problem.

He turned and ran, only the sound of his feet on dirt reporting his escape. I watched him disappear around a corner.

A moment later I realized I was smiling. The realization chased the expression away and left me cold.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Quietly, I slid the door to 's house shut. The others slept on the floor in futons, except for Kurogane, who was slumped against the wall with his arms crossed. His eyes were closed, but his breathing and heartbeat were too fast for him to be asleep. I'd woken him, despite my effort to keep silent.

I let him be and sat against the wall next to the door. After claiming my new knives, I'd retrieved my sword and wandered a few back streets before returning here. I had a rough map of the city now. It was circular, with the Ryanban's castle in the center and houses of decreasing wealth spreading out from it. However even the nicest houses seemed to be in disrepair. The Ryanban must have been making trouble for everyone, indiscriminant of wealth or social status. Which meant his reign wouldn't be a long one, regardless of his magic. Adrian had taught me that power was maintained with a calculated balance of fear of punishment and reward for following orders. Raining down fear with little reward for loyalty would destroy a leader's position eventually.

I pulled out my knives, one seven inches and the other nine, letting the System analyze their angles and strength. The crude blades would only be useful for cutting, attempting to use them for deflecting bullets would be disastrous as the bullet would shatter the metal. Their composition and build would barely hold against a blade from my world, but they would do for now.

"Did you steal those?" Kurogane asked, his eyes open now.

I slid the nine-inch blade into the empty sheath on my belt. It wasn't an exact fit, but it would work. "Yes. If you have the traditional sense of what is and isn't stealing." I tucked the other knife into my jacket.

He raised an eyebrow. "And what would the nontraditional sense be?"

"If a person decides to take away the human rights of another, they forfeit their own. Including their right to own things. I got attacked and took compensation. I wasn't stealing because they didn't have the right to own anything anymore."

"That's an interesting way of looking at it."

"Apparently." I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes.

"I don't see any blood on you."

"I wasn't injured."

"That wasn't what I was getting at."

"The thugs didn't leave unharmed, if that's what you're asking. But I didn't kill anyone."

"Hm." Kurogane shifted and shut his eyes again.

I sighed, staring through the ragged hole in the roof. The edge of the moon, a cold sliver of silver, peeked into the house. Together we waited for morning.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The sun shone hot and bright onto Kurogane and I as the report of hammer falls passed between us. Kurogane and I perched on Chu'Nyan's roof, repairing the hole the wind storm had left. Fai was in the house below us, occasionally passing up boards or nail and sipping his tea in-between.

Chu'Nyan, Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona had left this morning to explore the city and see if Mokona could detect a feather. Mokona had said he felt something, but was unsure. However, the Ryanban's sudden rise to power seemed a bit too miraculous, and with the timing, too coincidental.

The sun burned off the roof and ground in waves, so I'd removed my jacket, leaving me in a tank top, before starting on the roof. I grabbed another tile from the stack and set it in place, the System highlighting the best space to set it with a blue square.

"Alice-san?" Fai called up to me, shielding his eyes with a hand.

"Yes?" I asked, slamming my hammer down.

"I have a question about The System, if you don't mind. You told us what it does, but could you explain what it _is_? I've gathered that it's not magic, but I can't think of another explanation."

I grimaced at the nail in my hand. "Do you know what a computer is?"

"No, I can't say I do."

I raised an eyebrow at Kurogane.

"I don't have a clue," he said.

"It's . . . a machine that thinks. But it doesn't think like a person. Not the System anyway. It thinks in numbers, angles, distance, and probabilities. It helps with things like this." I gestured to the roof with my hammer. "It uses my eyes and measures the difference between them to calculate depth, then other things like angles and lengths. Then it highlights the most structurally sound place for each tile."

"How do you get it to do that?" Kurgane asked.

I shrugged. "The same way you move your arm, or hear the sound of me talking. You just do."

"What happens if it breaks?" Kurogane asked.

"It can't. There are three separate control centers in my brain that make sure if one malfunctions, the others will shut it down and repair it immediately."

"I assume it wouldn't be pleasant for you if it broke or shut down," Fai said, taking a sip from his tea.

"Yes, but there's the safety check. If the System shuts down from say, a lack of power, it shuts down completely just before the battery is completely empty. If the shutdown wasn't controlled, then some parts could still affect me, interfering with my reflexes or sight."

"Somebody put a lot of thought into that," Fai said.

The conversation fell into silence as Kurogane and I hammered away. I muffled _thunk_ and a hissed cursed made me glance up.

Kurogane shook his hand, his thumb bright red. "Why are we working on her roof again?"

Fai handed me a board, smiling despite Kurogane's pain. "She let us stay over at her place last night. This is something nice to do in return, isn't it?"

"But . . . a kid like that living on her own." Kurogane said, his anger dying away. I glanced up at Kurogane before returning to my work, jaw clenched.

"Well, Chu'Nyan did say her mother died . . . " Fai said.

"Okay," Kurogane said, "so how long do we need to stay here for?"

"That's up to Mokona."

"About that," Kurogane said, "is it all right to take the princess out like this? You never know if she's rowing the boat or asleep at the oar." It was a good point. Sakura wasn't always lucid, so dragging her into a busy market might not be the best idea.

When Fai answered, his upbeat tone had vanished. "She doesn't have enough memories yet to return to the old Sakura-chan again. She's only been able to retrieve two feathers. Even if a few of her memories have returned, she doesn't really have her will or consciousness back. Not the Sakura-chan we're traveling with now. That's why we- the two of us who are just here to travel between worlds- can't really object. And even if she gets all her feathers back, she'll never be able to remember Syaoran-kun."

The air between us grew somber, and I could understand the pain of Syaoran and Sakura's predicament. But at the same time, I felt a strange distance from Syaoran's reaction. Sakura was alive, wasn't she? There was a future for them. Wasn't that enough?

Fai continued, "But Syaoran-kun's still searching isn't he? He's going to travel all the words and find Sakura-chan's scattered fragments of memory, no matter how painful it will be for him in the end." Fai's cheerful tone returned. "In any case, it's our job to make repairs while waiting for them to come home."

Kurogane leaned over to look into the house and at Fai. "So . . . " he said, eyes narrowed, "how does that give you the right to relax and drink tea?"

Fai laughed. "But I'm supervising Kuro-pippi's hard work."

"The hell do you mean 'supervising my work?' What about the brat across from me!" he yelled, pointing at me. I raised an eyebrow as Fai laughed.

"Alice-san seems far more responsible than you Kuro-pin," He said, grinning, which of course caused another round of yelling from Kurogane. I focused on my work, waiting for his tirade to end. After a few more minutes of grumbling Kurogane stomped down the ladder, leaving me alone on the roof.

I raised my hammer, about to bring it down when I heard a distant howling to my right. I stood and shielded my eyes, looking for the source of the sound. About a block away a violent swirling storm spiraled like a drill into a clearing between some of the buildings. I checked the rough map I'd laid out the night before. _That's the market. Shit._

"What is it, Alice-san?" Fai asked.

"A wind storm just tore through the market," I said, climbing down the ladder.

Fai grimaced, rising to his feet. "Well, that's not good."

"I'm going to check on them," I said, pulling on my jacket and picking up my sword.

"Well, I'm coming." Kurogane said, throwing his hammer over his shoulder. "Anything to avoid this crap."

I nodded and left the house, Fai and Kurogane behind me. We weaved between houses, following the fastest route. We rounded the final corner and found the market ravaged. Stalls were broken in half, their awnings torn, wares littered the street, and people huddled to the sides.

Syaoran crouched on the ground, blood streaming from his forehead. Sakura was at his side with Chu'Nyan, both of them staring at the Ryanban's son. The man laughed in the middle of street, hands on his hips.

Chu'Nyan stood. "You have to call for Daddy when you're losing a fight? You're pathetic!"

I walked to stand by Chu'Nyan and the others. "So he called the wind again, huh?"

Syaoran glanced up at me. "Yeah. I tried to fight him but . . . "

Watching the man laughing in the middle of the chaos made me grit my teeth. A familiar anger crept into my veins, tensing my muscles and curling my fists.

"Mokona," I said, "Have you figured out if there's a feather here or not?"

Mokona shook his head. "Mokona can't tell. It's still too fuzzy."

"Which means we'll have to assume the Ryanban has one. Right then." I stepped forward, away from the others and into the middle of the street.

I wanted to see how I fared against an opponent with magic. Syaoran weathered his fight with the man without being severely injured. I had more skill than Syaoran, so I'd likely have a better time fighting this man. So, if I was going to test out my skills against magic attacks, this was a good place to start. This enemy was predictable, stupid, and had already shown off his strength. A man this power hunger wasn't going to hold back, so I doubted he had any surprises. And we would be going after the Ryanban and his son soon, so there was no point in holding back.

The man stopped laughing, eyeing me as I glared at him. "What do you want? Are you stupid?" He asked, blinking at me. I thought about saying something about the feather to startle a reaction out of him, but I didn't want to give the Ryanban any warning about what we were after.

The man narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute. You're the one who beat up my lackeys last night."

"Yes. That was me."

The man grinned. "I guess I'll have to beat some respect into you. And I'll be taking that sword too."

"Okay, take it." I flipped my sword and tossed it to him, hilt first.

He gasped and stepped back, letting the blade hit the dirt before picking it up. "What are you up to?"

"I'm testing something."

"You—Fine! Come and see how your test goes." He swung my sword to point at me. His stance was unbalanced and his grip on the sword was showy and loose. Running the System up to full power, I waited for the man to lose his concentration. I didn't have any doubt he was unpracticed in sword fighting and hand-to-hand, but the magic he wielded concerned me.

The man stared at me, brows drawn and nose flaring. "Well? Come—"

I darted forward, closing the gap between us before he swung my sword at me in a wide arc, air hissing against the blade. I ducked, coming up just after the sword passed over my head, and slamming the heel of my palm into his wrist, breaking his grip. The sword spun from his hand, landing in the dirt behind me with a _thunk_. I didn't give the man any time to process what I'd done, and drove my fist into his stomach, sending him stumbling back.

Kurogane snorted, but I kept my eyes on the man, my fists raised.

The Ryanban's son gasped in a breath, shooting me a vicious glare. He flicked his wrist, an ornate fan snapping open in his hand. He swung the fan down, a wave of wind roared from the fan, towards me.

I dove for the ground next to a stall, wedging myself in the corner of the wooden frame and the ground. I put my curled my arms over my head and braced myself. A moment later, the wind roared over me, rattling the stalls and snapping the fabrics.

But my hair fluttered in the air, more like it was drifting through water, rather than being torn at by a gale. I pulled my hands away from my head in confusion, staring at the world around me. The stalls swayed in the wind. The others had shielded their faces against the dust and force of the whirlwind. But my hands didn't waver against it, instead the gale wound gently between my fingers.

I stood, holding a hand out in front of me. The wind snapped my clothes, but it didn't threaten to pick me up or throw me into the nearest stall. Compared to the people and objects around me, the wind was barely touching me.

Turning to locate the Ryanban's son, I found him and we locked eyes. He stared at me, mouth open as bits of cloth and wood whipped past me. I turned to face him, and charged. He took a step back, preparing to flee as his confused expression turned to fear.

But before I could reach him, the System's warning lit up my vision half a second before a ceramic pot, flung by the wind, shattered against the side of my face. Pain exploded through my head, stopping my advance. I dropped to a knee as the wind died around me and I tried to stop the road from spinning. I blinked past the blood trickling into my eye as the Ryanban's son ran down the road and out of sight.

Standing, I wiped the blood from my vision and put pressure on the cut on my eyebrow. That was stupid of me. Of course there would be debris. I plucked a shard of pottery from my collar as the others joined me.

"That was great Alice-san." Fai said, he and Mokona clapping.

"Yeah," Kurogane said, "until you got taken down by a pot."

"Yes," I sighed. "I know that was stupid. I'll be more aware if it happens again."

"But that was interesting. How did you do it?" Fai asked, tilting his head.

I shrugged. "I didn't do anything. I just noticed the wind felt more like a draft."

"Hmm." Fai slowly nodded.

"Hey, your friend needs medical attention." Chu'Nyan snapped. Syoaran protested as she tried to help him up, waving a hand, but Chu'Nyan persisted.

"What happened?" Fai asked, taking Syaoran's other side.

"I injured my foot when he called the first wind storm." Syaoran said as Fai and Chu'Nyan turned around with Syaoran, starting back to her house.

On the way back, Sakura, Syaoran, and Chu'Nyan recounted the events of their visit to the market and the ensuing battle. Apparently the Ryanban's son had been about to beat an old man and young woman for not paying an impossible tax, when Sakura had jumped in the way. Syaoran had thrown himself in front of her, which caused the fight between the man and Syaoran. Syaoran had been winning, until the wind storm hit.

Sakura sat with Syaoran, bandaging his ankle as Chu'Nyan sat with the rest of us. "The Ryanban stole that fan from my mother. It's how the Ryanban's son has been keeping people under control." Chu'Nyan looked and the floor and clenched her fists.

"Even so, why haven't the townspeople risen up yet?" I asked. A leader, no matter how powerful, couldn't slave drive their citizens before their people rebelled, left, or died.

"We've tried a lot," Chu'Nyan said, "But we were never able to set one finger on the Ryanban. The Ryanban's castle has some kind of magic around it. Nobody was able to get close."

Fai turned to Mokona. "That accounts for the strange energy that Mokona sensed, doesn't it?"

Mokona nodded. "With all the weird power around, Mokona can't tell if there is a power wave from the feather or not."

Fai turned to Chu'Nyan. "What about that son of his? Have you considered holding him hostage?"

I nodded but Kurogane grimaced. "Isn't that idea a little late in coming?"

Chu'Nyan shook her head. "We can't! The Ryanban uses magic to watch every part of the town of Ryonfi! If anything happens to his son . . . "

Fai crossed his arms and looked at Syaoran. "Just like what happened with Syaoran-kun yesterday and today, hm? You'd get hit with a magical attack." Fai paused, his smile falling to a thoughtful frown. "I think it's likely the Ryanban has found a feather."

Syaoran's eyebrows shot up as he glanced at Fai.

Kurogane crossed his arms. "That wouldn't add up. It was only a short time ago that the feathers were scattered, right?"

"We're in different dimensions. It's possible that time flows differently in each of them," Fai said.

 _Now even time is bending? Wonderful._ I rubbed the bridge of my nose, but dropped my hand when something occurred to me. I'd never seen the power source Adrian found, only where it had been kept. A small container, with a window that let out a glow. Adrian had found it weeks ago, but if time could be bent between worlds, then that exclusion was void.

"Syaoran," I said. "What caused the explosion in my world: it could have been one of Sakura's feathers."

Syaoran's eyes widened. "Really? Where would it be now?"

"I'm not sure." I frowned. "It could be in Elpedite, my world, or it could have been blown to random world like myself, or . . . or Adrian could have it." The idea that Adrian could still have the feather, if it was one, fell like a cold shadow across my back. If the feather could give an overwhelming amount of power to that kudan back in the Hanshin republic, then Adrian could use it for unlimited monstrosities.

"Thank you for letting me know, Alice-san." Syaoran said, smiling.

I nodded. "But we should focus on the feather that might be here for now."

Syaoran nodded and stood. "I'm going to the castle. And if the Ryanban has a feather, I'm taking it."

"Wait!" Sakura cried, grabbing his arm. Sakura's eyes were brighter, more lucid than they'd been in hours. "Syaoran-kun, you're wounded!"

He smiled at her. "I'll be fine. If there's a feather, I'll get it back for you."

Sakura frowned, but hesitantly let go of Syaoran's arm. She didn't look happy with Syaoran's decision, but she probably realized she couldn't stop him. It was a smart decision, and I felt a sprout of respect for her grow within me. For a moment, she reminded me of Nathaniel.

"Wait a moment," Fai said, holding a hand up. Syaoran tensed, but Fai waved. "You can relax. I'm not trying to stop you. It's just . . . the magic of the Ryanban is pretty strong. If you simply walk there, you'll never succeed. At the very least, we'll need enough power to create an entrance to that castle."

"Can't you do something about that?" Kurogane asked.

Fai beamed. "Impossible!"

Kurogane glowered at Fai's cheer.

"Mokona will ask!" The little creature bounced onto the floor.

I had time to raise an eyebrow before Mokona shot a beam of light from the jewel on his forehead. The light condensed into an image of Yuuko, her back to us.

She turned, "Ah? Mokona . . . how are you?"

Chu'Nyan, Sakura, and Syaoran all jumped back. "It talked!" they cried.

 _Well that's convenient._ I wasn't surprised. Video chat was the primary form of communication in Elpedite, but apparently that that wasn't true for some of my companions.

Kurogane sputtered, staring at the woman's image.

"Mokona sure is convenient at times," Fai said. He was the only one in the room besides me that didn't react in bewilderment.

"Convenient?" Kurogane snapped at him. "There a limit to how convenient things should be!"

"Relax, this is normal in my world. Well, the moving image part anyway," I said. "Yuuko, we're having some magic trouble. We could use your advice."

"Oh?" She smiled. "What trouble would that be?"

Syaoran, recovered from his distress, spoke. "We think there's a feather in the castle of this town. And the ruler is using the feather's power to abuse this place."

"I see," She said. "So you have to break through the magic to enter the castle?"

"That's the problem." Fai said.

"Why would you need to contact me? Fai can use magic, can't he?" she asked Fai with a raised eyebrow.

"I turned over the source of my magic to you."

She frowned. "The markings held your magical power in check. Your magic now is what it was originally meant to be."

I glanced at Fai, who kept his eyes on Yuuko. _Interesting. He didn't want us to know what they really did. He'd purposely lied to Yuuko about them, hoping she'd play along._ 'Held his magical power in check' made his power sound unstable and destructive. Between this and Fai's battle in the Hanshin Republic, he was beginning to look more dangerous than Kurogane.

"Despite that," Fai's smile faltered, "without those markings who could expect one to be able to wield their magic."

"Fine." Yuuko said. "I'll hand over something that will help break the magic arts surrounding the castle. But I'll expect payment in return."

"But we don't have anything to give you," Syaoran said.

But Fai stood and pulled his staff from the wall where he'd left it earlier. "How will this do? It's a magical device. Can you use it?" Maybe this was his way of trying to make up for the lie? I could overlook the secrecy, but I would remember the implications of the revelation.

Yuuko nodded. "Send it through Mokona."

Mokona's mouth expanded as Fai offered him the staff, swallowing the whole thing. I blinked, sighing as I dismissed it as more magic. Mokona shrank back down to his normal dimensions a moment later. A second later, Mokona's mouth opened again and a compact, black object rocketed out. The object smacked into Syaoran's waiting hand. He now held a small dark orb, smoky spirals curled beneath its marble-like surface.

Syaoran held the orb up to the light. "This will defeat the castle's magic?"

Yuuko nodded. "Aim carefully at whatever the barrier may be, and it should do the rest."

"All right," I said, "If no one has an issue with it, I say we get this done now. The Ryanban knows we've been going after his son, and I don't want to wait around for him to come after us."

Syaoran walked to the door. "Let's go."

As Syaoran and I headed for the door Fai grabbed one of the sets of clothes Sakura had won. "Kuro-pu and I will be out in a minute."

I stepped out of the house as Kurogane growled, "Why do I have to wear that?"

Chu'Nyan and Sakura leaned against the stone wall surrounding Chu'Nyan's yard, talking quietly as we waited. Syaoran stood next to me in silence. "Syaoran, can I see the orb for a moment?" I asked. I wanted to see condensed magic up close. So far the magic I'd seen had taken the form of giant beasts, destroyed buildings, or carried people through the air, but this looked like a large marble, neutral and inactive.

"Oh, sure," Syaoran said, handing me the orb.

I reached out and took it with my right hand. I had my gloves on, but the second the orb fell into my palm, it felt like fire lanced across my hand. I flinched, but managed to keep my composure. I didn't want to risk dropping the orb, and breaking it or activating it.

Instead the moment I felt the pain, I glanced at Syaoran's palm. It was unscathed, and he hadn't said anything, so it probably didn't hurt him. I grabbed his hand, pulling it back over before setting the orb back into his palm. The moment the orb left my hand, the pain receded to a faint throb. Syaoran blinked, looking back and forth from me to the orb. I carefully pulled away my glove, revealing my glaring red hand. The System classified it as first degree burn, but borderline second degree.

"What happened?" Syaoran asked, frowning in concern.

"I'm not sure. When I grabbed the orb it burned me. Even through my gloves." I inspected my palm, and had the System check for any abnormalities, but it seemed like it was just a burn. It would heal within thirty-six hours.

"Well, that's strange," Fai said, walking towards us with Kurogane.

"That doesn't happen for the rest of you, does it?" I asked, slowly pulling my glove back on.

Fai tapped the orb. "Nope."

Syaoran shook his head. "I don't feel any heat."

I rolled the fact over. It was the third inconsistence I'd found now. In the Hanshin Republic, everyone had a kudan but me, in the market the magic wind didn't harm me like it had Syaoran, and now this marble burned me while to the others it was a harmless orb.

"I'll be avoiding magic then." I flexed my hand, testing the burn against my glove. It was unpleasant, but not unbearable. I'd use my left hand for the day, but if I had to use the right one, I could push past the pain.

"This won't be a problem, will it?" Kurogane asked, tugging on the collar of his new robe.

"No, I'm ambidextrous. Let's go," I said, turning to walk out of the yard.

Chu'Nyan started walking with us. "Isn't it dangerous to leave Sakura-chan alone? Who's staying with her?"

Fai stopped, eyebrows raised. "You're staying with her." His tone wasn't demanding, but more like the answer was obvious.

Fai's calm reply was met with explosive aggression. "No!" Chu'Nyan shouted. "I want to go with you!"

"The Ryanban's castle is protected by some powerful magic," Fai said softly. "This is going to be dangerous."

"I'm prepared for that! I'm going!" she yelled, clenching her fists.

Fai smiled and rubbed his forehead. "Hm. I'm not getting through to her." He looked over to Kurogane, his gaze expectant.

Kurogane's head spun to face the street so fast I expected to hear his neck break. "I don't have any talent for explaining things to kids."

"Because you're so shy?" Fai teased. Kurogane stiffened, but remained silent.

Realizing her efforts were fruitless, Chu'Nyan grabbed Syaoran by the arms and looked up desperately. "I'm going to go and take down that Ryanban. I have to avenge my Omoni. I'm going with you!" Her voice started to break. "It's okay, isn't it? Syaoran!"

Syaoran pulled away from her, his face like stone. "No," he said "You will stay here."

Chu'Nyan looked towards me, I waited by the entrance to the courtyard. "Alice?" she choked out. I silently pushed off from my position against the wall and followed Syaoran from the courtyard. I didn't feel like arguing with a vengeful child and we had a dictator to kill. I liked the easier option.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This is the updated version of chapter six. (5/16/17)

 **Seven years ago:**

For several minutes my mind buzzed with wordless consciousness. Then I grew aware of the sound of my breaths. Slow and steady, I focused on them. Then the faint blips of a heart monitor drove me back to thought and action.

My eyes snapped open as I tried to sit up. But I found I could only rise a few inches from the bed before falling back. I gasped as a woman in a lab coat rose from her chair across the room. "Relax," she said, walking over to me. "You've been asleep for a while, but you're fine. The surgery was a success." The small room glared white and all I could see inside was my bed, a desk, and a computer. Two chairs lined the wall to the left of my bed.

"Surgery?" I croaked, attempting to push myself up again. I tried to remember why I was here, but found a dark haze where my memories should be. My heartbeat drummed against the back of my eyes.

"I know you're disoriented," the doctor said, "but don't move. You're on a lot of painkillers, so you feel fine, but you need to rest." She left me and walked back to her screen and tapped it a few times.

"What is it?" Adrian's voice came from the screen.

"She's awake," the woman said.

I looked down at myself. Most of my body was hidden beneath a blanket, but my arms were free. I lifted a hand and found a tangle of tubes growing plant-like from my arm and running to an IV bag. A cut, woven with stitches like spider legs, formed a T along the inside of my arm, with the horizontal line just under my wrist and the stem of the T trailing down and disappearing under my shirt sleeve.

My other arm bore the same cuts, but as I flexed my hands I couldn't feel a thing. I watched in distant fascination as the cuts stretched along with the skin of my arm. Air cooled my scalp and I ran a hand over my head to find myself shaved bald.

"Look at me." The doctor appeared a few inches if front of me, shining a light into my eyes as I blinked at her. Satisfied with my blank stare, she turned to the screen next to my IV bag and started scrolling through my heart monitor, blood pressure, and the pressure in my brain.

A click sounded across the room. I looked up to see the door in the corner of the room open, and Adrian step in. "Sleep well?" he asked. He wore a simple white collared shirt, his usual suit missing.

"How long was I out?" I asked, finally managing to prop my back against the headboard.

"Two weeks. We discussed this before. Do you remember?" Adrian asked, taking a seat on the chair next to the bed.

"No. But she said I'm on painkillers. That they're making me feel strange." My hand flopped on the blanket as I tried to gesture to the woman.

"Yes. I had them dialed back about an hour ago, so your mind should be clearing up. Now," Adrian held up a screen, on it was the word BLUE written in green, "what color is this word."

"Blue. No, green," I said, blinking at the screen as I fought to focus.

"Now solve this." On the screen in bold black font displayed 12 + 7 = ? I started with twelve and counted up with my fingers. I lost track twice and had to start over, counting under my breath. "Nineteen," I said, louder.

"Right." Adrian swiped to the next question. A picture of twisting lines and dots had a blank square removed form the center. Below it, four similar patterns waited, in the shape of the missing section. "Which pattern belongs here?"

I scanned the pattern, following the coils and dots before tapping the pattern I thought matched.

"Good," Adrian said, pulling the screen away. "What's your name?"

I answered him and he nodded. "And your brother's name?"

"Nathaniel," I said.

"What's my name?"

"Adrian. You're asking me to make sure you didn't kill half my brain cells." The last part was more an attempt at organizing my thoughts than a question. Adrian smirked, watching me muddle through my own mind.

I stared at my palms and flexed my hands. "I remember you told me I was going to have surgery. To get a System. I have machines in me now." I stared at the scars on my skin in fascinated revulsion. There were wires under my skin now. In my arms, legs, spine, and eyes.

In my brain.

I swung my feet off the bed and as my legs appeared from beneath the blanket I saw the same cuts running up them. The doctor walked forward, a warning on her lips, but Adrian raised an arm to stop her, watching me with an expectant smile.

Pushing myself off of the bed, I set my feet on the cold tile and locked my legs. That worked for a few seconds, numbness masking the cold of the tiles. Then my legs buckled under me, sending me into a tangled heap on the floor.

I panted, giving myself a minute to recover, and pushed myself onto my hands and knees. It felt like my whole body was asleep, fuzzy and distant. Clenching my teeth, I stood. Adrian gave me a proud grin.

"I want to see Nathaniel." Nathaniel was probably experiencing a meltdown. I made sure to see him at least once a day, so two weeks without me left one of the few consistencies of his life gone.

"You can't yet. You have to wait here for another week."

"Why? And where are we?" I collapsed back on the bed, giving up the fight against my exhaustion.

"You need to be watched for complications. We did go rooting around in your brain after all. You can't see Nathaniel because he's at the facility. We're in a medical center roughly 500 miles west of it."

I grimaced, but there was no fighting this. The only thing I could do was rest. If I didn't give them a reason to delay, I could leave in a week.

"You should lay down," the doctor said. "You need to give your body time to recover."

I nodded and laid back.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Two days passed without complications. I rested when I was told, ate, and exercised. My body's fragility was alarming, but I regained my strength quickly. I took walks in the small garden outside the center to get away from the gray halls.

Beyond the grey medical center, a dark forest of pines stretched all the way to a mountain range in the distance. A similar view surrounded the whole building, with no sign of human habitation. I liked the view, but a small part of me found it unnerving. The staff I saw in the building rarely made eye contact, and awkward silences hung around the groups I passed.

On the third day my breakdown started.

The only people I'd seen at this medical facility were me, Adrian, seven doctors, and anywhere from ten to thirty nondescript men and women in black shirts and pants with TOR rifles. Adrian was the only person I talked to besides the doctors, those conversations fixed only on my healing.

I sat in the grass, my white, cotton medical shirt and pants blowing in the wind as I watched the forest. Adrian lounged in a chair next to me, reading a book. We'd been here for about an hour in silence. I ran a thumb over the scar on my left arm, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"How do you feel?" Adrian asked.

I sighed. "Fine. For the hundredth damn time, fine."

"I would have expected you to feel something by now. Maybe you've found it easier to open doors, or you've seen a flicker of light across your vision?"

"No."

Adrian's book snapped shut. "Then maybe you feel repulsed or scared. I'll remind you: I'm the only other person who's gone through this."

My lip curled at the thought. "Of course I feel repulsed. Leave me alone." I clenched and unclenched my hands. Deciding I was done tolerating him, I stood and walked back towards the building. Adrian went back to his book, ignoring me as I passed.

I got to the door and reached for the knob. I grabbed it, turned it, pulled the door open and took a step.

Something jerked me to a stop before I could get beyond the door frame. Blinking, I turned in confusion to face the door. My hand still held the knob, with my wrist bent around the door at an awkward angle. I stood frozen, staring at my hand. Why was it there?

I tried to let go, but found that my hand only twitched. Fear knifed through me as I stepped back around the door, straightening my wrist. Tugging, I tried moving my arm instead of just my hand. Sparks of pain erupted in my hand and wrist as my grip tightened against my will.

I cried out at the pain, watching my knuckles grow white as my hand continued to tighten around the knob, my muscles burning in protest. I yelled again, tugging at my hand with my free one.

"Relax," Adrian said, appearing behind me and resting a hand on my shoulder. With his other hand he held a screen up to his ear. "Come to the west yard now, and bring a tranquilizer."

My shoulders shook as I wrenched at my hand. Pain lanced through my frozen fingers, my muscles screaming a message for me to stop.

"You need to relax," Adrian said again. "The System is misinterpreting your panic. You're making it worse."

I shook my head and threw my body away from the door, but my hand still held. Adrian sighed, gripped my free arm and tugged me back to my feet. A man in a lab coat sprinted over, needle in hand. "Use it now," Adrian said to him.

The man nodded and stuck the needle into my arm. A few minutes later, I was asleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"That was expected," Adrian said. "Your System is still trying to adjust to understanding your brainwaves. Some miscalculations were anticipated."

I flexed my hands, waiting for the faintest twitch or muscle spasm. None came. I stood from the bed. "I'll be outside."

In the garden I sat hunched in the grass, watching the wind shift the trees. A security guard leaned against the nearest wall of the building, facing me.

I wanted to call Nathaniel, but Adrian refused to give me my screen. But calling him would be a bad idea anyway. He'd want me to come back immediately, but he wouldn't understand why I couldn't. I ran my hands over the fuzz of my hair and took a deep breath.

My hands were warm against my head, but they felt alien somehow. The memory of the lack of control kept circling over my thoughts. I flexed my hands without issue, but the feeling didn't leave.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my hands. I couldn't control them. It had only lasted a minute, the equivalent of a severe muscle spasm, but the event rooted in me like a weed.

That, and the memory of Mika and Rutile mixed within me to yield an ugly inkling. I tried to drown it, but Adrian's insistence that I couldn't call Nathaniel, Mika, or Rutile only made my fear grow.

 _Am I a machine?_ The thought chased itself through my head until an alarm went off next to me, jolting me and reminding me that I needed to visit one of the doctors.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Blue eyes stared back at me as I looked in the mirror. My hands planted on either side of the glass. Was I myself? Was I _here_? How could I tell? Mika and Rutile had all those fake memories. What guarantee did I have that mine were real?

I knew Adrian wanted to use me for fighting. So wouldn't it be better to have a machine than a flawed human child? Everything familiar had vanished, replaced by this facility. Adrian was the only person I recognized here. I clenched my hands into fists, my breath growing irregular.

If I were a machine, then would I be able to feel pain? I slammed a hand against the sink, and a spark of pain greeted me. But I knew pain could be simulated and I wouldn't know the difference. I had to look deeper.

I drew my hand back and smashed the mirror. Flashing shards burst from the frame, tinkling into the sink and onto the floor. I snatched one from the basin and slashed it across my palm.

A line of blood oozed from the cut, dripping from my palm and into the sink. Droplets of red trickled into the sink, falling among the mirror shards. I bled, so I must be a living person, right? But so what if I was flesh? Wouldn't it be possible to carve out the frontal lobe and replaced it with a computer? And they definitely operated on my head: my scars confirmed it.

If my consciousness was a program, then I wouldn't be created with the capability to harm myself, right? I slashed at my palm again. Another gash opened across my palm as more blood dotted the rim of the sink.

 _I wouldn't be able to kill myself._

The thought froze me. The shard in my fingers winked at me as blood dripped off its edge, daring me to test the thought. I could put the glass down, guarantee nothing, and continue down the road my life was becoming. Or I could prove myself real and do it, end my doubts, my life, and leave Nathaniel behind.

I flung the shard into the sink and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"What triggered that incident yesterday?" Adrian asked, sitting across from me at the table.

"What incident?" I asked, staring at the sandwich in my bandaged hand.

"You have slashes across your palm and left a mess in your sink. Why?" He glared at me. "Your health is very important to me."

I returned his glare and dropped my sandwich, resting my elbows on the table. "I know you want me to fight. Why not use machines?"

His eyes narrowed to green slivers for a moment, flicking over my features. "Ah," he said, his smirk returning. "You're asking if you're a computer." He leaned back and drew his screen from his pocket. "About ten years ago I had the idea to make a robot army. So I did. A group of ten robots, prototypes for the battlefield. They worked wonderfully, too: great aim, nearly endless energy, and no hesitation."

He turned his screen and held it out to me. On it was a photo of ten shining bodies. Where they should have had faces, a silver dome and two black dots stared out. The rest of their bodies were as polished and featureless as a mirror. "But before I sent them to fight, I had to be sure no one else could take control of them. I brought in some of the best professionals in hacking in the country, and I challenged them to take control of my robots. The prototypes all got their instructions from one source, a mother computer. Three of the professionals succeeded. My army no longer worked for our mother computer. I ended the project."

Adrian's eyes met mine as his smile grew. "So I thought: I already have a human army, with minds immune to hacking. But they are only human. So what was the perfect middle ground? Something I could control from a distance, with the strength and reaction time of a machine and the capability to make its own rational decisions."

"Me. The System," I said, understanding sending conflicting shudders of relief at my humanity and horror of the future up my spine.

Adrian gave me a frigid smile.

 **Present:**

The Ryanban's castle loomed over us, its high marble walls and set of doors radiated hostility.

"Here we are," Fai said as he marched up to the doors. "No wasting time. Let's get in there!"

Syaoran glanced from the walls of the castle to the doors. Kurogane stepped up to the door and set his shoulder against it. I placed my palms on the other side and together we pushed.

"I don't think that's going to work," Fai protested, but the doors creaked open before he could finish. After they finished swinging open, I had to take several steps back, staring at the sight beyond the doorway, trying to process it.

"What the hell!" Kurogane yelled, taking a step back as well.

Beyond the doorway, a sea of clouds billowed out, forming the ground. Above, where a sky should have opened, hung an upside-down town with small wooden homes like the structures of this country. My gaze flicked between the clouds, town, and doorway as I ran my thoughts in circles, trying to rationalize it.

"Weird! Weird! The clouds are below the ground!" Mokona said from his perch on Fai's head.

Fai set his hands on his hips. "Chu'Nyan-chan did say that the castle was protected by magic. And it won't be just this door. I imagine all of the castle gates will be the same. I think it's time to us the orb." Fai made a sweeping gesture towards Syaoran.

Syaoran drew the orb from the front of his robe, glancing from it to the castle with a thoughtful frown. Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "How're we supposed to use this thing?"

"You throw it!" Mokona said. "You throw it as hard as you can. Hard enough to hit the castle!"

Syaoran nodded, tossed the orb a few feet into the air. He spun, his leg lashing out in a blur as he kicked it into the air. The orb hurtled above us and a few feet before it could make contact with the castle, it burst. Black shadows raced around the castle, like a glass dome around it had been shattered and ink exploded through the cracks.

A booming crack echoed around us. When I looked back to the open gates the reverse sky was gone and a white marble corridor ran in both directions.

Syaoran took the lead, and we headed right. The hall stretched as far as I could see, the end of it fading into a white blur of marble. I frowned. Shouldn't a circular building have a curved hallway?

Our steps echoed down the hall. The walls were as smooth as the floor, solid slabs of marble. I would have expected a door, window, even a picture, but nothing marked one section as different. After at least ten minutes of walking, I stopped.

An error message flashed in my vision as the System started running various checks. The angle of the hallway compared to the map of the town I'd made earlier was impossible, and the System was processing it as a malfunction. But I knew it wouldn't find anything wrong.

The others looked at me, waiting for an explanation to my sudden stop. "Somethings wrong with this hallway," I said. "Its dimensions are impossible compared to the layout and size of the rest of the city."

Syaoran walked a few paces down the hall and knelt, picking something up off the tile. "That would explain this," he said, presenting a smooth pebble. "I left it on the ground near the entrance."

"So this hallway's a loop," I said. I scanned the walls for the door we came in through, but it was missing.

"Hyuu!" Fai said. "Syaoran-kun, Alice-san, you two are pretty smart."

Kurogane gave him a grimace. "What was that?"

"Sorry, but I don't know how to whistle," Fai said, shrugging.

Kurogane shook his head, turning away from Fai and crossing his arms. "So all that walking was for nothing."

"Hmm. I certainly don't want to walk any farther." Fai stood in front of the nearest wall and placed a hand against it. He closed his eyes as his smile faded. I frowned. For a moment he seemed to grow taller. My frown deepened when I looked down to see his feet hovering three inches off the floor.

"It's here I think," he said, slowly setting back down.

Syaoran walked over next to him, staring at the wall. "Did something seem strange?"

Fai placed a hand on his hip and pointed to the wall with the other. "For this kind of magic, the place where its strongest is the source. I think that means the Ryanban is on the other side of this wall. I don't know for sure. But there's a strong magic power in this direction."

Kurogane glared at him. "I thought you said you weren't gonna use your great magic."

Fai smiled. "I wouldn't so much call it magic. It's more like intuition."

"So how will we get in?" I asked. "We could—"

Kurogane stepped forward and slammed a fist into the wall. Bits of stone shot over my shoulder and tumbled to the floor as I stared at the hole Kurogane opened. Dust hung like a curtain, blocking our view of the other room as Kurogane grinned and stepped forward.

"That was reckless," I said. I tended to use stealth and surprise when entering an enemy's stronghold. It seemed like Kurogane was the opposite. I sighed as I drew my sword with my left hand, remembering the burn on the right one, and stepped through the hole in the wall with the others.

"Whatever," Kurogane grumbled, waving a hand.

As we left the dust behind us, a huge circular chamber greeted us, its white domed ceiling hanging far above us. From the center of the ceiling an indigo silk curtain cascaded down into a circle in the middle of the room. Sitting inside was a woman. Her hair sat coiled on her head with elaborate pins, and an equally elegant black and white robe cascaded to the floor. Her eyes glittered like chips of onyx. Nails extended like claws from her fingers, flashing with the same light that caught her eyes.

An inhuman echoed through the air. "I welcome you, little worms." The voice echoed, like three different women speaking in unison.

I flexed my hand around the hilt of my sword. The whisper of her breath and the beats of her heart never came, not that I could hear. We approached her, stopping about half way into the room.

"Who the hell are you?" Kurogane asked.

She smiled. "You humans—pathetic creatures with lives spanning less than a hundred years— you're no better than worms. Such creatures should watch their tongues. Or so I should scold you. But it's been so long since I had a guest, I'll forgive your coarse tone."

"What is she spouting?" Kurogane snapped. "Whatever! Just cough up the location of that Ryanban of yours."

Fai quickly waved a hand at him. "Kuro-bun, your temper is a little too quick here!"

I silently thanked Fai for keeping Kurogane from pissing off the threatening woman. Even here, about thirty feet away from her, I still couldn't hear a heartbeat. Silent hung around her like a wall, not even a shift of fabric making it to us.

My eyes didn't leave the woman as she lifted a hand to her mouth and smirked. "What amusing children."

Syaoran stepped forward. "I'm looking for something important, and I think it's in this castle. Will you tell me where the Ryanban is?"

The woman raised her long nails and looked at Syaoran with a slightly more genuine smile. "I like the look in your eyes," she said. "However, I'm afraid I cannot answer your question. Nor…" She stood, "can I allow you to pass."

"Excuse me," Fai leaned over to peek around Kurogane, "are you saying something to the effect that if we try to pass, you may get . . . violent?"

"Exactly," she said with a cold smirk.

The room flickered to black and I stumbled back a step. A second later the darkness lifted, but instead of standing in the enormous room, I stood on a slender stone pillar stretching up from foaming waves. Orbs of water hung in the air, their sizes ranging from a few inches in diameter to four feet. Lanterns on small poles stretched up from the water like reeds in a pond.

My pillar stood several meters away from the strange woman. She stood in a wooden gazebo, an island in the middle of the lake. The others also stood on pillars, glancing around the lake. Instead of ending at the walls of the room, the waves of the lake disappeared into a think bank of fog.

"An illusion?" Kurogane asked, standing on a pillar to my left with his arms crossed.

"No," the woman said. "Illusions are meant to bewilder." She raised a hand and a small orb of water darted towards Syaoran, "My arts, however, are so much more than that."

Syaoran's arm shot up to block the orb. It burst against his arm with a hiss, vapor streaming into the air.

"It's melting!" Syaoran gasped, shaking the liquid from his dissolving sleeve. Alarm lit Fai and Kurogane's faces. I stared at Syaoran's sleeve in surprise before scanning the room to get an idea of where the orbs were. They hung all around us, at least forty that I could see.

"Any injuries caused by my arts are all painfully real," the woman said.

"So that would mean that if we received a severe wound . . . " Fai said.

"You die!" the woman yelled as she flung her arms out. The orbs hovering around us burst into motion, each of them heading for one of us.

My eyes flickered blue as the System went into combat mode, all processing power diverted to fighting. Blue lines arched across the room, highlighting the predicted paths of the orbs. The scent of vinegar invaded my nose as I ducked beneath an orb.

I spun as the System alerted me to an orb flying at my face from the right. I kicked off from my pillar, landing on another. A cry wrenched my attention away. Syaoran stood, one leg in the lake and the other on a stone peeking out of the surface. He leapt away. The leg that had been in the lake hissed and steamed. Beneath his tattered pant leg, his skin glared red. He clutched his leg just above the wound.

"My leg!" Syaoran yelled.

"The lake and my spheres are made of the same liquid." The woman's voice snaked through the fog as more orbs bubbled up from the lake. I slashed my sword through an orb as more flew at me from my left, breaking the surface tension and letting most of the acid fall back into the lake. Droplets spattered against me, but only on my clothes.

"Of course, not everything is as it appears," she said.

"You're telling me that if I fall in the lake I'm gonna melt?" Kurogane yelled as he ducked. On the pillar next to him, Fai dodged an orb. He landed lightly on one of the lanterns on the lake, the tips of his toes perched on the lantern's top.

"Kuro-min, break this for me," he said, waving at his lantern.

"Huh? Why?" Kurogane snapped.

"We won't be able to avoid these spheres empty-handed forever."

"Do it yourself!" Kurogane snarled, punching the base of the pole. It snapped like a twig. Fai clung to the lantern and leaned back, breaking off the lantern and leaving two long poles.

Fai flipped, gripped his stave, and batted away an oncoming sphere. Kurogane used the other pole and swung at a sphere coming from his left.

"Now we can destroy them without touching them," Fai said as he swung again. He and Kurogane put their backs to each other and continued to slash at the spheres.

I glanced at my sword and looked around for a lantern. I needed a longer reach and I didn't know how this acid affected my sword. It could be eating away at the edge, and I had no way to sharpen the blade. I leapt for a lantern, decapitating it and leaving a thin metal pole. I landed, turned, and jumped again, slicing off a long piece of the pole and catching it in my free hang.

"Syaoran!" I yelled, throwing the pole to him.

"Right!" He called, catching the stave. I finished by cutting one last piece off for myself, grasping it with one hand and sheathing my sword with the other.

I spun my pole, letting The System calculate its weight and reach. I snapped it to my right, bursting an orb before it got close enough to splash me. A blue line crossed my vision, ending at my leg and beginning with a globe of acid. The orb darted in, but I slashed my stave across its path, bursting it. I glanced over my shoulder for a moment to see Syaoran slashing away at orbs, but his bad leg slowed his movements. Kicking off from my pillar, I landed next to Syaoran. "See what Kurogane and Fai are doing?" I asked.

He looked to Fai and Kurogane, who had their backs to each other, spinning and swinging their staves. "You want to try that?"

I nodded as he stood and we put our backs to each other. We fell into a rhythm of slashing and pivoting. A series of blue lines marked the globe's paths as I twisted and slammed my stave into them. I kept a close eye on my left side, as Syaoran's movements were slow on his right. Once, I had to fling my stave back to catch an orb he'd missed.

"Now," Fai yelled over to us, "we'll never get anywhere playing like this. Syaoran-kun, take Mokona and go ahead."

"I can't leave you here. Getting the feather is my responsibility." Syaoran said.

"True. But numbers won't help in this battle. Also you should move forward while your leg still works." Fai spun his pole like a propeller as he looked over his shoulder at Syaoran. "Syaoran-kun, you still have unfinished business, haven't you?"

Syaoran's expression hardened. He nodded, his mouth a thin line.

"I hope you aren't planning anything foolish, children," the woman called as a new onslaught of orbs sped towards us. I spun my pole and intercepted a globe.

"You guys figure out how to get Syaoran out, I'm going to get her attention," I said, my back to them as I eyed the woman.

"Are you sure?" Syaoran asked.

I looked at him over my shoulder, my eyes hard. "Of course. You just get that feather quickly."

He tensed, but nodded. I returned the nod, then spun and leapt towards the woman.

"Careful!" Fai called, a smile in his voice.

Several orbs flew towards me, but I spun my pole as I kicked off from one pillar to another, gaining speed as I neared the witch.

"Oh?" she asked as I approached. I landed on the pillar nearest her, setting one foot and letting my momentum hurl me forward. I planted one end of my pole in the shallow lake and, using the other end, vaulted forward.

I swung my feet forward, intending to kick the woman in the face and knock her into her own acid. She raised her dagger-like nails, and streams of blue lit the predicted paths. If I continued as I was, she'd slice the backs of my legs open. I altered the angle of my feet right before impact, letting her nails rake the bottom of my shoes. The metal in my soles provided a shield, as I'd hoped.

One nail slipped passed my shoes and slashed across the side of my right leg. My pants tore and she left a shallow cut. Her strike flung me back, but I used the impact to my advantage and pushed off back towards a lantern, I grabbed it with my free hand, the burned one, and swung around to face her, setting my feet against the pole.

I glared at her, my hand burning. "Last chance to give up," I said.

She smiled back at me as more orbs flew at me. "You are strong, child, but not strong enough."

I pushed off with my feet and kept my grip on the lamp, twisting to balance on top of it. I spun my pole, destroying the oncoming acid while I reached into my coat and withdrew my knife.

The System calculated the weight of the knife and distance in an instant. I spun, drew my arm back, and snapped my knife forward, sending it spinning at her chest.

She raised her hand again, deflecting the knife with a clang and sending it whirling harmlessly into the water. I grit my teeth in frustration as more globes of acid closed in, sending me back into batting them away.

A bang echoed from above. I glanced back for just a second to see a hole in the ceiling. Fai stood below next to Kuogane, but Syaoran was gone.

I slammed one last orb away before leaping back, landing on a pillar next to them. "He's out, right?"

Fai nodded. "Kuro-pu was quite impressive."

"Cut it out!" Kurogane snapped.

"If one managed to escape, that leaves me no choice," the woman said as she looked up at the hole in the ceiling. "I'll have to treat the three remaining children with moxibustion."

With a flick of her wrist, the orbs around us burst. I ducked my head as acid rain drenched us, keeping the down pour out of my eyes. I hissed in a breath as the acid drenched my face and trickled into the collar of my shirt, burning every inch of skin it touched.

"I'd say our situation is serious," Fai said, his face turning a vibrant red.

"Humph!" Kurogane grunted with a smirk.

I fixed my eyes on the woman and zipped my collar up to just below my chin, hoping it would help ward off the rain. Some of it ran into my glove, and I bit back a hiss as it trickled over my burn.

Kurogane and Fai stood back-to-back as more orbs formed from the lake. I stood alone on a pillar to the right of them, readying for another onslaught.

"Alice-san, maybe you'd like to join us?" Fai asked.

"Too crowded. The System can act as my backup." I pulled my injured leg closer, using my jacket as an umbrella. My stance wasn't a sound one, but I couldn't let acid into the cut.

I glared at the woman in the gazebo, wishing again for a gun. Maybe in The Hanshin Republic I would have held, but that was Primera throwing a petty tantrum. This was a fight for life, far from my area of experience.

A blue line lit up my vision and I snapped my pole up, breaking an orb aimed for my head. After that a new onslaught of orbs surrounded us. Blue flashed in the left half of my vision. I pivoted, throwing my stave out and slashing a globe of acid from the air. Another orb flew at my head. I ducked before spinning and striking it from the air. A few minutes later, the orbs let up.

I turned to check on my companions. Kurogane and Fai's clothes looked tattered, the threads in the robes dissolving away. Their skin glared bright red, and the hint of blood ran in the acid dripping from their faces. I swiped at my own face and checked my glove. No blood yet, but my face stung.

I looked up to see that the orbs were fewer in number, but had doubled in size. They were just inches taller then me now. I thought this would be even worse, but I found that it was easier to see them coming and burst them before impact. I wondered what the tactical advantage of it was, until I saw Fai in the corner of my vision.

Fai swung at an oncoming orb, but instead of bursting, the orb warped, letting the staff pass through without touching it. Fai wasn't going to have enough time for another swing. The orb descended, inches away from him.

Kurogane spun, slamming his staff into Fai's stomach _._ The impact flung Fai off their pillar and gave Kurogane enough momentum to leap out of the way. Fai stumbled onto my pillar clutching his stomach. I gripped his arm, steadying him as I knocked away an orb hurling toward us.

"Kuro-mu! You're mean!" Fai said, coughing as he tried to regain his breath.

Kurogane shot him an exasperated glare. "If I didn't, you'd be melted by now." He pointed to the pillar they'd just been standing on. It had melted to half its height, dripping into the lake like wax.

"I see your point. But, next time you move me, do it with a little more care please."

"You good?" I asked as he straightened.

"Yes, thank you, Alice-san," he said, readjusting his grip on his stave.

"You have some skill, children," the witch said as she raised a hand. "It's been so long since I've had a way to pass the time without being bored." The orbs around us rippled and doubled in size again. A blue flashed in the left half of my vision as I spun, swinging my pole. The globe burst before it got to us, but the splash fell toward us like a wave and Fai and I had to leap away.

The moment I landed I had to swing at an orb. Another rose to take its place as it burst. I spun my stave, but the orb swung around my stave before impact. It darted in, hitting my right leg and drenching my cut. I snarled through clenched teeth and dropped to a knee, but had to immediately push myself back up as three more orbs rushed in. I swung my stave like a bat and growled, hitting the first two and jumping away to avoid the third.

I wobbled as I landed, forcing my injured leg to hold my weight. My cut burned, but the damage wasn't serious. The System had already run a check and reported some burns in my injury, but most were external and mild for now.

We needed to do something. Dancing around would only help us for a short time. Soon we'd be too worn out, or one of us would make another mistake. But the acid was herding us away from the woman.

The crash of water drew my attention back to Fai and Kurogane. I bashed an orb out of my way and leapt from pillar to pillar to regroup with them.

I perched on a column next to Fai and Kurogane, readying to swing my pole, but the orbs in the air pulled back, suspended several yards away.

The witch lowered her hand. "There was only one other child who held out as long as you. A female shinban from the town of Ryonfi."

"That would be Chu'Nyan's mother, I take it," Fai said, resting his stave on his shoulder.

"She did mention a daughter by that name." Some of the amusement left her voice. "Perhaps what this country truly needs is not that foolish Ryanban and his men, but you children and that female shinban."

"Then let us pass," I said. "Why are you defending the Ryan'ban if you don't approve of him?"

"I haven't the ability to allow you to leave. I must live by the commands of the low-bred one who unjustly controls my will."

My hand twitched on my stave. _So she's under his control. But how? and why? Is it like my situation? Or magic?_ I almost offered our help, but realized if someone had offered me the same, it would have been too risky to accept. I might have even killed them if I suspected Adrian was watching.

The symmetry between us drained away some of my anger. I wasn't fighting a sadistic maniac, just a woman turned puppet. But somehow that made the idea of killing her easier.

"And although it is a shame, children," she said, "now we must part." The woman raised both of her arms and as they rose a wall of acid erupted from the lake, encircling us. The waves reached the ceiling, and started creeping closer.

Fai put a hand up the shield his eyes. "Oh-no! Here's where I'd say it looks bad for our heroes."

"Yeah," Kurogane huffed. "The minute we're caught in that, we're dead." He crossed his arms. "Can't you use a little magic now?"

"No. Sorry," Fai said.

Kurogane sighed. "I got nothing to do with this."

I wanted to point out that, regardless of his motives, he did have something to do with this, considering we were all about to be drenched in acid. But starting an argument wouldn't help us think of a way out.

"What now Kuro-mi? Alice-san?" Fai asked.

"I've already tried getting her with a knife, but she deflected it. Unless one of you has a gun or some kind of explosive, I'm out of ideas." I shrugged, eyeing the looming tsunami. I'd faced situations like this and found my way through and back to Nathaniel. Although I'd had more control over my surroundings in those situations than I did now.

Kurogane gripped his staff tighter and uncrossed his arms. "I'm not dying here. I've got to go back to my Japan. So we'd better step it up, and get to the next world."

The wall of acid halted in its advance. The acid cascaded down uncomfortably close. I raised an eyebrow at Kurogane. "Don't tell me you've been playing around," I said. He shot a feral grin at the witch and shrugged. I sighed. "I've never kept Nathaniel waiting long. I won't make him wait the rest of his life."

"Personally, I dislike staying in one place," Fai said.

"Why's that?" Kurogane asked.

Fai's smile remained, but the shadows around his eyes grew deeper. "Because there is a person sleeping underwater and, when he wakes up, he will probably come after me." Fai once again donned his fake cheer and lofted his pole. "So I have to run to as many worlds as I can."

It sounded like Fai had someone following him, too.

"Have you finished your final words?" The witch's voice cut through our conversation. A gap in the crashing wall of waves drew apart, allowing her to see us

"Now what do we do?" Fai gave a nervous laugh.

I tried to form some sort of strategy when Kurogane interrupted. "Hey, brat, you still have the other knife, right?" I nodded.

Kurogane jerked his chin towards the gap in the waves. "Jump through there. As you land throw your knife at her. Magician, you and I are going over the top when it comes down. After that, I'll go after the witch."

There wasn't any time for arguments or details. "Right. I'll take it," I said and jumped to a pillar closer to the wave.

The witch flicked her wrist. "Then, farewell."

I flung myself through the gap the woman left in her wall of acid, hunching my shoulders and covering my head with my arms. Once I was clear, I threw my arms and legs out, using their weight to help me aim for a pillar.

As I landed a crash of water sounded behind me. I didn't have time to check on Fai and Kurogane. I snatched my remaining knife from my jacket and hurled it at the woman.

"You hurry to your death, children?" she asked, her arm turning into a blur as she struck the knife from the air. Movment flickered in my peripheral and I turned to see Fai falling toward the woman. She smirked, flexed her dagger-like nails, and waited.

Kurogane surged forward, kicking off of Fai's back before he landed, launching himself at the woman.

"What?" Finally, the witch's composure fell as she realized what we'd done.

As Kurogane landed on the gazebo, the witch slammed her razor-sharp nails into his chest. They both stood like statues for a moment, their faces inches away from each other.

"You're quite the little tactician, aren't you?" the woman asked softly.

She pulled away from him, and as she withdrew her nails from Kurogane's chest, the book he'd purchased from The Hanshin Republic came with it. Her nails impaled it, the tip of one of her nails only just visible poking through the other side. Kurogane had positioned his body at the last moment so the book in his robe would act as a shield.

Kurogane grinned. "I just don't like the rain. So," He slammed his stave down onto the gem on her forehead, sending a crack echoing around the room, "turn it off!"

Glittering shards fell from the woman's forehead. The room flickered into darkness for a moment, and the pillar disappeared beneath me. I flung my arms out in surprise and hit white tiles. I stumbled, my injured leg buckling under the impact of my landing.

I sighed, my momentary panic evaporating when I saw tiles and not acid. I was also relieved to see both of my knives lying on the floor. I let myself sit down, catch my breath, and give my leg a break.

"If you try any more of your weird tricks—" Kurogane growled, standing over the slumped witch, gripping his stave and ready to swing. But the woman cut him off, standing in one agile movement and kissing him.

I raised an eyebrow and glanced up at Fai, who stood next to me, muffling his laughter with a hand.

"What kind of magic are you trying on me now?" Kurogane jumped back with a grin that might have been angry, confused or both as the woman pulled away.

"That was a thank you." She smiled, but it wasn't as cold this time. "Inside that stone was the magic that kept me in thrall to the Ryanban."

I pushed myself up and limped over to retrieve my knives. I wanted to avoid irritating the injury, but The System had already started stimulating cell growth and increased blood flow to my leg. The System's diagnosis hadn't changed, and it predicted the damage would be gone in forty-eight hours.

Fai walked over to join Kurogane. "And when Kuro-pon smashed the stone?"

I gathered my knives, holding the second one in my hand for a moment.

"I was finally set free," she said. "Had I the choice, I would never have defended that brainless Ryanban and his son against three such steadfast children."

I turned the blade over in my hand a few times, glaring at it. It'd be nice if my situation was as simple as a magic stone. And the Ryanban must be an idiot if he only had one safe guard on this woman.

"You wish to know the location of the Ryanban. He abides in the highest floor of the castle. However, it seems that the second smallest of you children has already arrived." Her expression turned solemn. "The Ryanban cur is attempting to attack with another cowardly tactic."

"What's he doing?" I asked as I came to stand next to Fai.

"I believe he is using an illusory hostage against your companion," she said.

"Right then." I grimaced, drew my sword and headed for the stairwell in the far wall.

"Guess that means were leaving," Fai said as he followed me. Kurogane's footsteps echoed after us as well. I stepped into the stairwell and started up it, ignoring the pain in my leg.

"So," Fai said, "the Ryanban is probably using an illusion of Sakura as hostage against Syaoran. Does that sound about right?"

"Probably," I said, keeping my eyes on the stairs. "If something doesn't tip him off to the illusion then he'll be in trouble."

"Got a plan, brat?" Kurogane asked.

"Kill the Ryanban," I said. I ran a hand over my check and checked it for blood: nothing. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Fai and Kurogane still had glaring red skin and small amounts of blood dripping from their chins.

"Fai, is my face as red as Kurogane's?" I asked.

He looked from me back to Kurogane. "No. I'd say Kuro-pin's face is a nice crimson. Your face isn't that bad. You're not bleeding either, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Hmm," Fai said. "The orb from Yuuko-san burns you, but you seem more resistant to that acid than us."

It was odd. I thought maybe magic could harm me worse than the rest of them, but that couldn't be it. I reached the top of the stairs. To the left, there was a hole in the floor through which Syaoran had broken through. Around it, broken pillars and shattered tiles marred the hall. The Ryanban's son sat slumped against the wall, bloody and unconscious.

I stopped and considered him for a moment—I knew he wasn't dead, I could hear his heartbeat—but I could kill him and make sure he wasn't an issue again. But I felt Nathaniel's memory pressing against me.

I sighed, turning away from the crumpled man. Even if Nathaniel wasn't here, I wanted to try to make choices he'd be happy with. Killing an unconscious man was not one of those choices. At the end of the hallway, a set of huge double doors stood cracked open.

"You're going to leave him?" Kurogane asked.

"Yes. But you're free to do whatever you like, I won't stop you." I said over my shoulder.

Beyond the doors, a crash and a yell erupted. I ran down the hall, along with Fai and Kurogane.

I reached the doors, pulling one open, ready to run in. But I paused when I saw the fight was over.

The Ryan'ban cowered at the far end of the room, a battered Syaoran standing over him. Men clutching staves and wearing simple tunics stood at the edges of the room, muttering and throwing confused, hateful looks at the Ryanban. Sakura and Chu'Nyan stood together behind Syaoran. Chu'Nyan clutched a circular mirror to her chest, glaring at the Ryanban.

We stepped through the doors, staying at the back of the room.

"What's this?" Fai asked. "It seems pretty crowded in there."

A small white blur rocketed through the air, smashing into Kurogane's nose. The blur bounced off Kurogane's face and he caught it in one hand, clutching his nose with the other. "You're late!" Mokona yelled.

"Aw, Shut up!" Kurogane snarled, squeezing the creature.

"It seems that quite a bit has gone on here." Fai laughed, waving to Mokona.

"Give the feather back!" Syaoran's voice rang through the room, harsh and steady. He held out a hand towards the quivering Ryanban. "Princess Sakura's memories belong to her. Give it back!"

Sakura clutched her hands to her chest. "Syaoran-kun . . . " she murmured.

"W-wait!" The Ryanban whimpered, holding up a trembling hand. "I think I can use this to bring Chu'Nyan's mother back! If you hurt me or kill me, that can never happen! Let me use this to resurrect her!"

I frowned. _He can bring back the dead?_ That wasn't possible. But I'd thought that about almost all of the magic I'd seen. Really if giant creatures could materialize from air, if acid could be summoned into gravity defying barrages, then reassembling the cells that made up a person wasn't that unbelievable.

"You murdered her," Chu'Nyan cried, her face twisting as Sakura gripped Chu'Nyan's shoulders. "You murdered a woman who was just trying to protect the village!" Chu'Nyan sobbed with rage, taking a half step forward before Sakura's arms encircled her shoulders, holding her back and giving her support. "And my omoni said no matter how much power you have you can't bring the dead back to life! No matter how much I want to be with her, I will never see my omoni again! And still—" She choked, "he spouts such lies!"

Indecision spun my mind in circles. One part of me wanted to hand Chu'Nyan a knife, the other part wanted to tell her to leave this behind. But Syaoran spoke.

"Chu'Nyan, do you want your revenge now?"

Her eyes widened and she stared at him.

"If it will help, you can take it." He half turned to face her, his expression solemn. "But is he really worth your effort?"

Tears poured from Chu'Nyan's eyes and she took several shuddering breaths. She clenched her fists and shook her head. "That freak isn't worth the energy it takes to hit him." I sighed. Syaoran had done better than I could have, and Chu'Nyan had made a better choice than me.

Syaoran nodded and returned his attention to the Ryanban, stalking towards him.

"D-don't touch me!" the man wailed. "S-stay away!"

Syaoran stopped as familiar, shining nails curled around the Ryanban's face. The unearthly voice of the witch trailed through the air. "That will be enough."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** This is the updated version of Chapter 7. (7/14/17)

 **Two Years Ago:**

A snowflake fluttered down from the night sky and onto the barrel of my TOR gun, the crystal dissolving into a bead of water on the metal. I watched a second and third follow before returning my gaze to the blackened, empty window in the distance. Distant rumbles and the echoes of cracking metal raged through the air.

I laid on the floor of a burnt-out building, my rifle pointed out the shattered window. The snow started falling faster, harsh white flurries against the backdrop of the dark city ruins.

My position hid me with shadows, so anyone looking in likely wouldn't see me. I also had a complete view of the windows in the building I aimed for. The moment someone stepped into view, I'd fire.

An hour later, not a flicker of movement had appeared in the office building a thousand feet away. The snow had fallen thick, dropping a blanket of cold silence across the block. The System regulated my blood flow, keeping me warm, but I would have to move soon or start freezing.

A shadow moved in one of the windows. I adjusted my aim and trained it on the movement. The System highlighted a blue beam extending from my sights to the shape, but I couldn't see what it was. It was likely a person, but The System couldn't pick out a human silhouette. I watched the shadow shift, waiting for the moment I could get a head shot, but for a full minute, the figure stayed indistinct.

A new flicker caught my attention, one of the shards of glass in the window frame in front of me reflecting movement. I'd been frozen for hours; even now I lay unmoving. The moment I saw it, I kicked my legs and spun myself onto my back. I'd realized I couldn't be the source of the reflection, so it had to be something else. As I twisted, I swung the rifle away from the window and down towards my feet.

The man in the stairwell pulled the trigger and a bullet shattered the cement I'd laid on a moment before. I pointed my rifle, The System correcting my aim like an invisible hand pushing the barrel of my gun, and fired.

A white flash lit the room as a bolt of energy hit the man in the chest. His body stiffened for half a second before buckling, disappearing out of sight as it thumped down the steps. I half stood, darting over to the stairway.

My TOR gun had fired silently, but the man's gun had notified the whole block. I descended the stairs, walking fast enough to move quickly, but not enough to make a sound. I considered snatching the gun from the corpse's knotted grasp, but it looked like a DNA model. If it was, then only persons with registered DNA would be able to use it. If I tried to, the gun would lock up, or potentially trigger a self-destruct security measure.

With the gunshot, I doubted anyone in that office building would be poking their head's out for the next few hours, so I would need to hunt them down.

After weaving back into the rubble of the city, away from the office building before turning right. The streets were filled with snow, but below that, ash covered the road, outlining my footprints in black. Shattered windows set into towering buildings, scorched storefronts, and shadows in the hills of rubble, all watched me like a skull's eye sockets as I passed, rifle held ready.

Most of the city's residents had fled before the Elpedite army arrived, but every few minutes I'd see a blacked arm sticking out from the rubble, snow gathering on the fingers like it would on tree branches. Distant rumbles of Elpedite bombs announced more would join them.

I turned, heading back towards the office building. I hugged the buildings when the way was free of rubble and moved quickly and low to the ground when I couldn't. The night of the horizon lifted to a deep blue, the approaching dawn illuminating my way. I stopped, hiding behind the last corner before the office building. Shouldering my rifle, I removed my pistol from its holster with my left hand and drew my sword with my right. I raised the blade, diagonally in front of me, ready to defend or attack.

Creeping around the corner, I watched the windows. In one of them, shining metal caught the light. An alert flashed in my vison as a white flash shot toward me from the window. My sword snapped up, catching the energy. The material of the hilt and my gloves acted as insulators, protecting me from the lethal bolt.

As the electricity sizzled out, I raised my gun. The System highlighted the person's silhouette, and I shot twice, aiming for their head. The figure fell back into the building, their rifle falling with a distant clatter. My hands held steady, The System tempering the effects of my adrenaline, but my heart thundered in my chest and my breath rattled. I took a moment to scan the rest of the windows and doorways, but they seemed empty.

I entered the nearest doorway, The System tracking every hiss of ash and crunch of snow beneath my feet. The inner hallways of the first floor were mostly untouched. Muted red carpet collected my ashy footprints as I headed for the stairs. Silence filled the first floor, which meant the people were upstairs. I ascended, my eyes locked farthest point up the stairs I could see, my gun aimed there as well.

I arrived at the second floor and peered out of the stairwell. The floor was full of a maze of cubicles, the windows on the far wall were all shattered, letting snowflakes drift in. My eyes flicked over the rims of the partitions as I listened. The muffled trickle of water filled the space, amplified by the silence. Satisfied no one was in the room I looked back to the stairs. I ascended the steps to the third floor.

On the second to last step, the mutter of human voices drift down the stairs. I slowed, making sure my steps were soundless as I neared the landing's doorway. When I reached the doorway I stood with my shoulder pressed to the wall, leaving only a fraction of the room beyond visible.

The corner of another section of cubicles were visible, but not the people speaking. Three voices echoed out of the room, two women and a man, speaking in sharp tones. They sounded like they were in the far right corner of the room, the one I couldn't see. From the corner I could see, The System calculated the dimensions of the rest of the room, and each speaker's approximate position. The voices stayed in the corner. No one was walking. Based on the clarity of the voices, The System estimated one woman faced the room, the other two likely had their backs to the stairs.

I turned, raised my gun, and stepped into the doorway.

As I cleared the doorframe, the group came into view. A woman faced me, her eyes widening as I stepped into her line of sight. On her right stood a man, and on her left a woman. They all bore the blue Yetz uniform, thick jackets with high collars and patches displaying their ranks.

The instant after I entered the room, I pulled the trigger, shooting the first woman. She jerked as blood burst from the back of her head and her eyes turned glassy. The remaining man and woman flinched away from her as she fell. My arm swung the exact amount needed, and I shot the man. The final woman reached for her rifle without even looking up, cringing away from her companions, but barely touched it before I pulled the trigger.

After she fell to the floor, I listened and found their hearts silent. Holding my gun in front of me, I stepped further into the room. The gun used bullets, not silent TOR shots, so anyone left in the building knew I was here. The buzz of machinery and a dim glow drew my attention to a closed door behind the corpses.

It must have been an office, with a glass door, webbed with bullet holes. In the room beyond, the soft light of a computer lit the wall. I stepped over the bodies and gripped the bloodied doorknob. The glass crunched as I pulled the door open, shards tumbling to the carpet.

The thunder of a heartbeat announced the rooms occupant. A uniformed man stood halfway out of his chair when I entered, and we froze as we saw each other, our eyes locking on each other.

"Don't—" He gasped as I shot him. He crumpled to the floor. Behind him waited a glowing screen, filled with a stream of numbers and letters. I stepped over the man to the desk. Lined up on the white surface sat a pile of folded Elpedite uniforms, seven shining computer chips, a cup of water, and a stack of folders. I frowned.

This was supposed to be the control center for the Yetz's drones and communications. The stream of numbers on the screen lined up with that. But the chips and uniforms made no sense. I could figure out why a center for sending out instructions to drones, would have chips and enemy uniforms.

I picked up a chip, frowning as I turned it over. It was the size of my finger nail, flashing silver in the dim light. Setting it back down, I flipped through the papers. I wasn't supposed to linger here. I should kill the computer and flag down the collection team. Then my job would be done. But a flutter of an idea kept me from shrugging my shoulders and leaving.

Tearing through the papers, I scanned them, moving on when I didn't find what I was looking for. After a minute, I flipped the page and a picture of a woman stared up at me. I stopped. The picture was sterile, the woman staring straight into the camera, unsmiling. An ID picture.

Printed under the picture was a serial number. I set down the paper and picked up two chips, angling them in the light until I found tiny serial numbers imprinted in the metal. They were the same format, but not the same numbers. After checking three more chips, I found a match.

Moments later, I had seven folders of profiles open with their matching chips on each one. Four of them were the people laying on the floor behind me. One woman, twenty years old, had blue eyes and black hair. She vaguely resembled me. There was a ghost of myself in the shape of her mouth and nose. Just enough that if someone took a passing glance, they wouldn't notice a difference. Just enough, that if someone glanced from the ID picture to me, I'd pass.

The idea tumbled into a clutter of a plan. Excitement and fear locked my hand in place, hovering over the folder and the chip. This could get Nathaniel and I out, but it could also bring devastating consequences. Except this was the chance I'd been waiting for. If this wasn't a good enough opportunity, then nothing would be. I took a deep breath and beat down the fear, snatching the chip from the desk and shoving it into my boot. I tucked the matching folder under my arm before replacing the rest of the chips and folders as I'd found them.

Satisfied, I leveled my Tor rifle at the computer and fired, frying the Yetz's communications. Somewhere in the east of the city, drones would be setting down, useless on the pavement as the Yetz units dissolved into chaos as they lost contact with each other. The Yetz had already been losing, but with this, the Elpedite army would win in the next few hours. I turned from the shattered screen and stepped over the bodies on my way out. Walking quickly, I exited the building the way I'd come, deciding I'd burn the folder. It would be the safest way to dispose of it; its ashes would look the same as the layer carpeting the city.

I couldn't use my TOR gun, it recorded the amount of shots fired and when. I stepped into the street and reached into my jacket pocket, taking out my lighter. Clicking it on, I held the corner of the folder above the flame, watching it catch. I waited until the fire almost touched my fingertips before letting go, letting the ashes blow away in the wind.

I took a slow breath, accepting what I'd done and steadying my nerves. I took out my screen and clicked it on.

"Alice reporting. Mission successful. Ready for collection team to be deployed to the following location." With a tap I sent out my coordinates and waited for the team to pick me up. I practiced standing still, not fidgeting with my boot, despite the chip digging like a knife in the sole.

 **Present:**

The woman's nails curled around the Ryanban's face, grazing his cheek. The top half of her body leaned out of a swirling void torn in the air behind the man. "You've made yourself comfortable inside my castle, have you not?" she asked.

The Ryanban let out a choked shriek as the woman pulled him back. Syaoran watched them with a cold stare, unmoving. No one else in the room moved either, but Chu,Nyan straightened, her eyes fixed on the Ryanban.

Kiishim's eyes flicked over the Ryanban, catching the light like a blade. "This churl would dictate my actions? I must show my appreciation, slowly."

"N-No! Don't!" he yelled, pushing against her arms. They could have been made of steel for how much they moved.

"It seems we can trust Kiishim-san now," Fai said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall behind him.

I nodded, envious satisfaction curling through me as I watched the woman. I'd been hungry for that kind of revenge for years. But it was nice to see someone else get theirs.

"Be at ease," the witch said, pulling him into the portal. "Once we arrive in the country of Kiishim, you will be received with the greatest of welcomes by my many sons."

"I don't want to go!" the Ryanban howled.

The woman's onyx eyes flicked to Chu'Nyan. "Are you the one named Chu'Nyan?"

Chu'Nyan's eyes were red, but her tears had stopped. Instead her lips were tight in grim satisfaction. "I am," she said.

Kiishim's eyes softened in sympathy. "Your mother was an excellent Shinban. Her one mistake was to fall for this Ryanban's cowardly trap. She stated that she would polish her skills in battle with me as you grew. She anticipated teaching you and watching you become a shinban more powerful than herself."

Chu'Nyan sucked in a sharp breath and nodded. Her shoulders were set and her hands were fisted into her skirt. She'd be fine. She was still grieving and that was normal. But now she stood on the right path and would move on in time.

"Grow strong," the woman said. "Until your skills may fairly challenge mine."

"I will," Chu'Nyan said. "You can bet on it!"

The woman nodded, the beads in her hair clattering. "Very well. Until that time, farewell, you adorable little worms." The woman waved her free hand, and the void swirled shut, taking the wails of the Ryanban with it.

The moment the portal sealed, Syaoran turned, feather clutched in his hand. He strode to Sakura, standing before her with a kind, determined look, and held out the feather. The feather fluttered across the space between them, glowing bright as it returned to its owner.

Sakura wobbled, her eyes turning glassy, but Syaoran's waiting arms caught her before she could fall. He knelt with her and smiled. "We've returned one more feather."

I scanned the room, and assured all danger had passed, walked over to the nearest villager. "Do you know the rest of these men?" I asked.

The man blinked down at me before glancing around. "Yeah. I mean, I know most of them as acquaintances."

I nodded. "The Ryanban's son is in the hallway back there." I pointed a thumb over my shoulder. "You and a few other guys might want to get him contained before he runs off."

The man's eyes lit with anger. "That sounds like a good idea." He turned to some of the other men. "Hey Eun, Haneul!"

The man and his friends marched into the hallway. I was ready to leave, but a quick glance in Syaoran's direction confirmed he hadn't stood up yet. He held his injured leg at a strange angle. I thought the acid had been the only injury, but a dark bruise ringed his ankle along with the burns. He would need medical attention.

I walked over to Chu'Nyan. "Does this town have a doctor?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After a joyful reunion between the townspeople and the men the Ryanban had kidnapped, a celebration erupted across the streets. The people had heard the Ryanban was gone, and we had to weave our way through the sea of cheering celebrators to get the doctor's house.

I stepped out of the doctor's house onto the street, starting towards Chu'Nyan's house. Across from the doctor's house, Chu'Nyan stood in the center of a crowd of beaming town's people. They'd gravitated to her after hearing how she freed the men with her mirror.

A moment after I passed the cluster of people, a hand tapped my shoulder. I flinched, turning as I stepped away.

A woman stood there, smiling at me. "Excuse me," she said. "I just wanted to thank you. You were one of the warriors who helped defeat the Ryanban, right?"

I blinked, staring at her for a moment. She returned my stare with a genuine smile. Snorting, spinning away from her as her smile shifted to a confused frown. I strode away from her, glowering at the ground. She didn't even know me and she was ready to thank me? It was idiotic. The same kind of mindset the people of Elpedite had: ready to trust whatever they heard and look no further, comfortable in their ignorance. Perhaps this situation was more justified—a corrupt ruler had just been overthrown by strangers uninterested in taking over—but the thanks still felt sour with blind trust. I didn't want thanks from people like that. It was the same way Adrian would wave and smile and everyone would pledge their lives to him. No need to look further or question, just accept what you heard with a smile and life was easy. It didn't matter what was going on in secret, after all. How could a leader that compassionate and charismatic do anything questionable?

I ducked into the closest dark alley and away from the bright streets of celebrating people.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The snow crunched under my feet as I ran across the snow and ash and into a doorway. Inside, the halls were dark and empty. I darted into a room just as another explosion rattled the building. Forcing my breaths back into a controlled rhythm, I crouched by the doorway and waited, shifting my grip on my sword.

Footsteps thundered down the hall. I tensed. _He wouldn't be so stupid—?_

The man careened passed me into the room, whipping his gun around as he spun, searching for me. Before he could turn to look back, I lunged forward and swung. When my sword struck him across the back of the neck, blood spattered the floor.

He fell with a thud as I ducked back against the doorway. I swiped a hand across my face, trying to wipe away the dots of blood. I listened, but I couldn't hear anything passed the rumble of explosives.

Stepping toward the body, I hesitated, shuffled, and darted forward, snatching his gun from the tile and jumping back to the doorframe. I checked it over, just a simple pistol, not a TOR gun. No DNA lock. Ten bullets left. I faced the doorway and aimed the gun in front of me, slowly stepping around the corner and revealing the hall. The gun trembled in my grip, and I had to take a long slow breath to steady them.

The moment I registered the explosion, I was thrown to the hall floor. Debris bounced and spun across the ground, dancing in my vision as I tried to orient myself. The tile swung beneath me like a pendulum. I planted both hands on the floor, set my feet, and turned myself over, looking back into the room. A crack of grey sky peeked between the chucks of concrete and twisted steel where the room used to be. The tile still rolled beneath me, but The System overrode my own balance and used the angles of the room to help me up.

My sword and gun were gone. I whirled around, searching the floor for them.

The tiles swam in my vision and my throat felt to tight, like I had to suck in each breath through a straw. Then there was a man barreling down the hall at me, already too close.

He lunged forward. The System flashed a warning on the knife in his hand, aimed for my stomach. I pivoted, slammed my arm against his wrist and broke his grip on the blade. It clattered to the ground between us. The dizziness combined with the sudden block sent me stumbling back.

The man darted forward and grabbed my collar with one hand, and punched me across the face. My head snapped back, cracking against the wall. Or maybe the floor, I couldn't tell anymore. Pain ricocheted inside my skull, blurring my vision and shattering my focus.

The System flashed in my vision, trying to get me to move. I looked up, reorienting myself and seizing the wrist of the hand gripping my collar. I activated The System, setting it to find the best angle to snap the man's wrist. But I hesitated, something held me back.

 _Wait, wasn't The System already running?_ The hand fisted in my collar shifted into a hand on my shoulder. I focused the man's face. He glared at me, but the expression was impatient, not murderous. Kurogane.

Reality snapped back into place. I sat against the wall of Chu'Nyan's house, a blanket draped across me. Kurogane gripped my shoulder.

I snatched my hands way from his wrist, canceling The System's order immediately. He raised an eyebrow. "You awake now?"

"Yeah," I said, rubbing my face. "Sorry. Next time you need to wake me up, just say my name or something."

He nodded and stood. "We're ready to leave. You?"

I got to my feet, pulling off the blanket along with the last wisps of the dream. I checked the house and found it empty except for Kurogane and I. "Yes," I said. "Where are the others?"

"Outside, waiting for you," he said. He had his original armor back on, so I assumed everyone had their original clothes back on. I folded the blanket and placed in the closet with the rest of the blankets. I hadn't taken one last night, so someone must have put it on me while I slept. If that hadn't woken me, I'd let myself get too tired.

I exited Chu'Nyan's house and found the others waiting in the yard. Everyone wore their original clothes. Sakura, looking the most awake I'd seen her, with bright eyes and a clear voice, chatted with Chu'Nyan. Fai and Syaoran leaned against the fence, conversing. Fai waved as I stepped out. "Good morning, Alice-san."

I raised a hand in return. "Sorry about the wait. I'm ready to go."

Fai stepped over, waving away my apology. "Don't worry about it. You looked like you needed the rest." He leaned over and whispered, "We didn't tell Chu'Nyan we're leaving, just that we need to do something important outside the town, and she should come."

Nodding, I stepped away and towards the street. "Let's go."

We weaved through the streets of the city. The people we passed smiled and laughed, filling the air with joy. Children who had been absent up until now, played outside, kicking balls and running through our group. Almost everyone waved to Chu'Nyan or us as we passed. If Chu'Nyan became their next leader, I wouldn't be surprised.

By the time we got to the edge of town, several people had started following us, curiosity lighting their faces. We stopped, sharing a silent glance to confirm this was a good spot. Chu'Nyan must have caught something in the look, because she stepped a little closer.

"Thank you," she said. "You really saved us from the Ryanban."

Syaoran raised his hands to protest. "We didn't do that much."

Chu'Nyan shook her head, a determined furrow in her brow. "If you hadn't removed the spell around the castle, the Ryanban would still be terrorizing us. So it really is thanks to you."

Syaoran's shoulders slumped, "No, really. We didn't do . . ." But the fight left Syaoran voice. Syaoran, despite his modesty, must have realized he was partially responsible for the town's liberation.

"We should thank you," Fai said. "The medicinal salve you gave us really worked." I glanced over the faces of my companions, finding their injuries had vanished. The salve Fai mentioned must have been magic. Healing that quickly, without advanced medicine, wasn't possible otherwise.

I ran a quick analysis of my own wounds. The burn on my hand was almost gone, along with the acid injuries. The cut on my leg was doing well. The small amount of muscle damage had been repaired. Now all that was left was a shallow cut in my skin.

"My Omoni made that salve," Chu'Nyan beamed. "I can't do anything nearly as good, but I'm going to try my best! I want to be a shinban that Omoni would be proud of."

I imagined her mother would be proud of her already. I had trouble picturing a parent that wouldn't be. A girl reckless enough to stand against the man who murdered her mother, but strong and wise enough to find peace outside of revenge. She'd taken the right steps and set herself on a path to a better life. I'd never taken those steps, and now I was committed to a much different road.

"You will be," Sakura said, a glowing smile on her face as she gripped Chu'Nyan's hand. "I'm certain of it."

Chu'Nyan's eye glittered at the edges. "Yeah," she said, her voice hoarse.

"Mokona," I said, nodding to the creature. He gave me a little salute and leapt into the air. Wings unfurled from his back as the magic circle bloomed under us.

Fai glanced up at Mokona. "Time to leave?"

"Yep!" Mokona said.

"What the heck?" Chu'Nyan cried, staring at Mokona. She gripped Sakura's arm, glancing from her to Mokona. "Where are you going?"

I gripped Chu'Nyan's shoulders, spinning her around and pushing her from the circle. "Far away."

Chu'Nyan twisted back to face us. "But you just got here!"

Syaoran smiled and gave her a wave. "We have something we have to do. Farewell!"

Chu'Nyan stood with her people behind her and beyond them their town, glowing in the morning light. I took a deep breath as her world spun, the colors folding in on themselves. And then she was gone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The ground sunk beneath my feet as I landed, the wet soil almost making me stumble. The others stood around me as we all scanned the area.

Thick mist swirled around us, sucking away any sunlight that bled through the smoky sky. My eyes adjusted, twisting trunks of dark trees looming over us and blocking the dim light. Vines crisscrossed the spaces between the trees, like a mess of wires. A choir of bugs and other small creatures buzzed around us and filled the forest with an organic static. The air swam with humidity, weighting down my clothes and lungs. Waves lapped at a sandy bank to our right, a lake with murky water.

"So," Kurogane said, "where the hell are we now?"

"By a really big lake, I'd say," Fai said, stepping onto the bank. The lake's surface lay almost still, with just the smallest ripples running over its surface.

Syaoran followed. "I can't see any signs of humanity."

Fai looked to Mokona, who stood on Syaoran's head. "Well, Mokona? Do you sense one of Sakura-chan's feathers?"

"Mokona senses a strong power," Mokona said.

"And my brother?" I asked.

"No," Mokona said, "Nathaniel isn't here."

I sighed, but it was partially in relief. I didn't want to think about Nathaniel getting stranded in a world like this. If he'd landed in this world, in the middle of this jungle, his survival would be a struggle. Nathaniel was smart, he might be able to handle it, but he'd lived in the city his whole life. These surroundings would be completely alien to him.

"Where's the power you're sensing?" Syaoran asked.

Mokona pointed to the lake. "There!"

Kurogane glared from Mokona to the waves. "You mean we gotta look underwater?"

"Wait!" Sakura said, clenching her fists, "I should be the one to . . . go . . ." She staggered, then fell forward, her eyes fluttering shut. Kurogane held out a hand, catching her as she fell.

Mokona laughed. "Sakura's fast asleep."

She'd done pretty well these last few hours. She was starting to stay awake longer, and stay more lucid during that time. I faced the lake and pulled off my jacket, the humid air already making me sweat. "We should start searching."

He nodded and took off his cloak. "Right."

I hung my jacket on a nearby branch and glanced around. "Mokona," I said, "We should walk around the lake. That could give you a better idea where in the lake it is."

"Good idea!" Mokona sprang from Syaoran's shoulder to mine.

"I'll start looking," Syaoran said, wading into the lake.

"I'm assuming we're meeting up back here," I said. Fai had propped Sakura up against a tree and given her his coat as a blanket. The small clearing made a decent spot for camp, the trees formed a canopy above us and it was right next to the lake, so I figured this was a good place to stay for now.

"We'll wait here and keep Sakura-chan company." Fai said with a wave.

I nodded, sand shifting under my feet as I started across the bank. "Tell me if you feel like it's getting closer," I told Mokona.

"Okay!" Mokona said.

The sandy beach narrowed and vanished beneath the roots of trees twisted over each other and into the water, forcing me to plan my steps as I picked my way over the uneven footing.

"This world is so cool!" Mokona's ears fluttered every time the chorus of bugs changed, or a bird or some other creature's cry broke through the buzz.

After walking for a while, I paused. We'd gone about half a mile away from our camp, and I wanted to see if we were any closer to the power's source. I started a mental map of the lake. It very roughly resembled a rectangle. Our camp was on the southern, longer side, and right now Mokona and I were on the short, eastern side. "How about here? Does it feel any closer?"

Mokona nodded. "Yeah, it feels a little stronger now!"

"Good." I grabbed a branch to balance myself as I stepped over a snarl of roots.

"I'm sorry Nathaniel isn't here," Mokona said, his voice softer.

I shrugged, careful not to push him off my shoulder. "It's fine. I'm actually glad he's not here. So far away from people, in this wilderness, he wouldn't be able to survive." A little voice whispered that just because he wasn't on this world didn't mean he wasn't on one like it. But I pushed it away. Worrying would do nothing. The best I could do for Nathaniel right now was to focus on the current problem.

"What's Nathaniel like?" Mokona asked.

"Smart. Kind," I smirked and ducked under a branch, "Extremely stubborn,"

"Then Nathaniel will be okay," Mokona said, stating it like a fact.

"Why do you think that?" I asked, pausing.

"If Nathaniel is smart and stubborn, and has someone like Alice looking out for him, he'll be okay." Mokona beamed. I sighed, deciding not to argue his naïve way of thinking. Maybe I wasn't giving my brother enough credit. He _was_ smart, he knew to be suspicious of strangers, and he could be resourceful. A little of my dread evaporated, but just a little.

We continued our trek around the lake. I would regularly check with Mokona to see how close the energy was. On the northern side of the lake, Mokona said the feather felt farther away again. We'd traveled about three-fourths of the way around the lake when Mokona said the energy felt closer again.

I stopped, frowning. "Wait, it's closer?"

Mokona nodded. "Yep."

But that didn't make sense. The lake very roughly resembled a rectangle, and right now we were on one of the shorter sides. On the other short side, Mokona had said it was close too, but on the long end it felt far away. It didn't make sense.

Mokona must have thought so too, as he started frowning. I crossed my arms. "You're sure?"

Mokona nodded. "Yes, Mokona's sure!"

"Then . . . could it be moving? Maybe there are currents in the water?" It was the only thing I could think of, and it would make finding the feather twice as difficult. We'd have to have Mokona with us to find it, and even then it would likely take hours. I sighed. "Let's go tell the others."

When we arrived back at the bank we started from a crackling fire greeted us. Sakura laid against the tree, still asleep, but Fai and Kurogane were gone.

A splash pulled my attention to the lake. Syaoran surfaced with a gasp, treading water.

"Syaoran," I called. He turned, pulling off his goggles.

"Yes?"

"The energy Mokona sensed, I think it's moving around. Have you seen anything?"

"No. But I'm going to keep looking. I'll stay close to shore, though," he said, glancing at Sakura.

"All right. Where did Fai and Kurogane go?"

Syaoran pulled one arm from the water and pointed behind me. "They said they were going to look around and headed that way."

I nodded. "I'm going to find them." I'd been turning a question over in my head since we confronted the Ryanban. He'd claimed he could revive the dead, and I wanted to know if magic made that possible. And though I was almost sure I already knew the answer, I still wanted to ask Fai to verify.

Syaoran waved in confirmation and dived back underwater.

"Do you want to stay here?" I asked Mokona. He nodded and hopped from my shoulder to the ground next to Sakura. Heading the way Syaoran pointed, I found a trail of muddy footprints. I followed the path of footprints up a hill, weaving between the gnarled trees. After a while, I pushed through a curtain of vines and stepped into a clearing. Across it, Fai and Kurogane stood by a ledge on the hill, gazing down at the lake. They turned as the vines fell back into place behind me.

"Ah," Fai said, "have you found it already?"

"Unfortunately, no. I'm pretty sure it's moving in the lake, water currents maybe." I tucked my hands into my pockets as I looked down at the lake. From our position, the barest flicker of our campfire filtered through the trees as it's light reflected off the water.

"Great," Kurogane growled, glaring at the lake.

"Fai," I said, turning to face him, "I wanted to ask you about something the Ryanban said. Can magic bring the dead back to life?"

He blinked, his smile falling. "No," he said. "The Ryanban was desperate. Not matter how strong the magic, the dead cannot be brought back to life."

"All right," I said. I didn't know how I felt about Fai's answer. It wasn't like I'd had any real hope that magic could bring my parents back. But something like disappointment settled on me at his words, though the emotion was muted, a muffled shout heard across a thick wall. Maybe I should have felt something sharper, but during the last several years, the girl I used to be, and her parents, became strangers. The day I'd abandoned my old name behind, I'd abandoned them too. Maybe in a way, it was a good thing my parents couldn't see what became of their children.

But the nonsense of it nagged at me. I frowned. "But I've seen kudan summon into being, and the room of acid the Kiishim created. If that's possible, then why not reassembling a person's body and memories?"

Fai gave me a sad smile. "Because maybe you can reassemble the body, maybe even the memories, but calling back a soul from death is impossible."

My gaze flicked over his solemn expression as my eyebrows drew together. "What's a soul?" The word sounded familiar, but in the last few days a flurry of unfamiliar words had been used. In the case of soul, I'd suspected it meant personality, but that didn't make sense with the way Fai had used it, with such weight.

Fai started, staring at me for a moment before composing himself. "I don't know if you have a different word for it. It's what makes up someone's identity. A close concept might be consciousness. In some religions, it's thought to endure after death."

I shook my head. "That doesn't make sense." How could consciousness persist after death? Death was supposed to be the end of thought, feeling, life. Something important differentiated a soul from consciousness. Maybe a soul was the culmination of all those things. And another new word: religion. I felt like a child, asking the grown-ups about words too big for me to understand.

But I asked anyway. "But consciousness is directly tied to the brain and body. If that's destroyed, how can it continue? And what's religion?"

"What kind of world are you from?" Kurogane asked, staring at me in bafflement.

Fai sighed and crossed his arms, but the gesture was thoughtful, not impatient. "So you've never heard of a soul or religion before?"

"Never."

Fai tilted his head and smiled. "Well there are many religions, most focus on concepts like the creation of life and the universe. But within that they're all very different, even more so as we're traveling through worlds. If you watch and listen, you'll see people mention them."

"All right," I said. I thought I had a rough idea of soul, but apparently I was missing a vital part of the concept. Maybe it was something unique to magical worlds, or something science couldn't discover. I'd try to find the piece I was missing, maybe then magic as a whole might make more sense.

My thoughts broke off as The System flashed in the right half of my vision, directing me to look at the lake. I took a step closer to the ledge to get a better look. "What's that?" I asked. The lake seemed brighter somehow. In its center, a dim glow bloomed among the waves. The light swelled into a soft shimmer, then exploded into a blinding flash.

My hand shot up to cover my eyes as I blinked the spots from my vision.

"What the hell?" Kurogane said.

We glanced at each other before running back down the hill, stumbling our way over roots and under vines. Shoving the last branch aside, I ran out of the wall of trees and back into camp. I glanced at the base of the tree, but Sakura and Mokona were gone.

Before alarm spread, Fai called out. "Over there." Fai jogged to the bank and knelt, Sakura lay splayed out on her stomach in front of him. Mokona stood by Sakura's head, waving a greeting as Kurogane and I joined them. The lake's glow hadn't diminished, it still shone so bright it hurt to look directly at.

From the way Sakura faced the water, and how she lay on her stomach, she must have passed out trying to get to the lake. It was a good thing she hadn't made it to the water, and it was still a wonder she hadn't broken her nose.

"Mokona, where is Syao—" I stopped when I glanced down to find Mokona had vanished. A few yards down the bank, Syaoran stepped out of the lake. A little white blur sped towards him across the sand.

"Mokona?" Syaoran asked, brushing the water from his hair.

Pointing back to us, Mokona stopped. "Sakura is—! Sakura is—!"

Syaoran's eyes grew wide as he caught sight of Sakura and sprinted toward us.

Running back to us, Mokona leapt onto my shoulder with a glowing smile. "Fast asleep!" Syaoran tripped, collapsing to his hands and knees and staring blankly at Mokona.

Mokona laughed. "Did I scare you? Did I scare you? That's one of Mokona's 108 secret techniques! Super dramatic power!"

Syaoran sat up as Fai patted him on the shoulder. "You did look scared. But from here on out, there will be more scares of that sort. Sakura-chan has fallen asleep many times now. Next time, there might be more dire circumstances."

I nodded. "It was a lucky thing she wasn't in the water when it happened."

Syaoran's gaze flicked from me to Sakura to the water before he paled. "Right."

"But," Fai said, "that's why we're finding Sakura-chan's feathers, right? If we're careful, things should be fine." Fai's smile grew brighter. "So let's take this a little easier. We don't have to dwell on the painful moments. We won't be able to forget them, even if we wanted to." He turned to look at Syaoran. "If you were to smile and have fun for a moment or two, I doubt anyone would blame you for it. Some might even be happier for it." Fai looked up at me, his eyes sympathetic. "You, too, Alice-san. I know your circumstances are time-sensitive, but with the difference in the flow of time between worlds, I don't think how long you take will matter."

I stared at him, my mouth tight as I processed his words. The realization that I couldn't control how quickly I got to Nathaniel was at once relieving and terrifying. In one sense, it was almost calming knowing that it was out of my hands. But for the same reason it was terrifying. No matter how quickly I moved, I probably couldn't make a substantial change in how soon I got to Nathaniel. Even if we left right now and got lucky enough to drop into the same world as Nathaniel, it could have been months since he'd seen me. All I could do was hope that the world's flows of time wouldn't get me to him years from now.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to accept it, giving Fai a short nod. Agonizing over it would only skew my focus. Syaoran must have taken Fai words seriously as well. He smiled down at Sakura, some of the stress that had fogged his eyes cleared.

Mokona sprang into Syaoran's lap. "When Syaoran smiles, Mokona is so happy!"

Fai grinned and pointed to himself. "As am I of course." He gestured to Kurogane. "And it makes Kuro-pin happy, too."

"Keep me out of this!" Kurogane said, crossing his arms. His voice still held its edge, but his eyes were softer, not as angry.

Sakura mumbled and shifted, drawing our attention back to her. She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Are you awake?" Fai asked her as she blinked.

The blank look vanished and she leapt to her feet. "Syaoran-kun!" she cried, spinning toward the lake. "Syaoran-kun's in the lake!" She took two running steps toward the water before Syaoran jumped up and pulled her to a stop by her shoulders.

"I'm right here," he gasped, releasing his grip when she turned to face him.

The worry drained from her face. "Oh, I'm so glad!"

For a moment, her anxiety at the thought of Syaoran taking a swim had me questioning her lucidity. But turning the thought over, the idea of Syaoran swimming in the murky waters of a mysterious world, without anyone nearby, with unknown creatures wandering its depths, hadn't been the best idea.

"Sakura-chan," Fai said once Sakura sat down, "there's no predicting what kind of journey we'll be taking. I'm sure you're worried about retrieving your memories, but let try to make this an enjoyable trip." Fai took a long look at each of us. "It isn't often that people such as ourselves wind up together."

Our eyes flicked over each other. A magician, an archeologist, a princess, a warrior, and a weapon. Each of us, with the exception of Syaoran and Sakura, came from different cultures and worlds. We each had distinct advantages and experience we could use. If worked as a group, we'd be a capable team. _Has a group like ours, so diverse, ever been formed before?_

When the moment faded, Fai turned to Syaoran. "Was everything okay in the lake?"

"Oh!" Syaoran said, an excited smile growing, "There was a town down there!"

I started, scanning Syaoran's eyes for dilated pupils and listening for an elevated heartbeat. He could have encountered a mind altering chemical in the lake, but finding both normal, I crossed my arms. "Slow down, and explain."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Syaoran told us about a glass dome he'd found on the bottom of the lake encasing a tiny city. The light that burst from the lake had been a glowing fish. Syaoran said he thought it must have been the town's sun. Worry nagged at me. This fish, that glowed much brighter than any creature I'd seen, seemed to spectacular. If this fish had swallowed Sakura's feather, which would line up with the power source changing places, then getting it could be an issue.

"This fell off it," Syaoran said, holding up a gold scale the size of a plate.

Fai took it and turned it over in his hands. "I see. The people of this world live underwater."

Mokona balanced on Fai's head, leaning forward to get a good look at the scale. "The strong power from before is the same kind of power coming from that scale."

"That means . . ." Syaoran said, frowning.

"There's no feather," I finished, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

Mokona nodded. "Mokona senses no other strong power than this."

"So this world was just a waste of time," Kurogane said, glaring at the scale.

"But it looks like Syaoran-kun had fun," Sakura said, offering Syaoran a soft smile.

Syaoran grinned back at her. "It's always fun when I get to see something wonderful with my own eyes."

"So," I said, "is everyone ready to move on?" A collective glance between us found no one felt the need to stay, so I plucked my jacket from its branch and shrugged it on.

"Ready?" Mokona asked. A round of nods and Mokona bounced into the air, wings unfurling from his back. The iridescent glow from the magic circle at our feet set the fog around us alight, hiding the forest beyond from view. Byeond the glow, the shadows of the trees blurred together, folded away, and we were gone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Freezing air hit me across the face as snow crunched under my boots. I sucked in a breath, coughing as my lungs adjusted from sweltering humidity to icy cold. As I looked around, my breath ghosted through the air in front of me. Mokona dropped onto my shoulder with a giggle, ears flicking as he looked around.

We stood halfway up a snow-cover hill dotted with pine trees. The moon hung like a coin next to a bank of dark clouds. Fat snowflakes drifted out of the sky, covering anything more than fifteen feet away with a static-like blur. The flurries strangled any sound, leaving the eerie quiet only snow could command.

"It seems this world's colder than the last," Fai said, standing and brushing the snow from his coat.

Kurogane pulled one foot from the snow, glaring at it. "Well, this is great."

Sakura held out her hand, watching with wonder as a snowflake drifted onto her palm. "What is this?" she asked.

"It's snow," I said. "It's what happens when it rains, but it's cold enough for the water to freeze as it falls."

She looked from the melted snowflake in her hand to me. "Do you have snow in your world?"

I shrugged. "Occasionally." There was snow in the cities sometimes. But I usually saw it when I was in the field. I didn't hold the same wonder for it as Sakura did.

Sakura started shivering, but still seemed mesmerized by the snow around her.

The System elevated my heart rate and forced some of my blood vessels to constrict as I peeled off my jacket. It would only work for a short time, being the rough equivalent of a fever, but it would do for now. I held the jacket out to Sakura. "Here."

Sakura held up her hands, shaking her head. "I couldn't. You'll get cold in just a shirt!"

"I'm better off than you are," I said. "The System can keep me warm for a while. But you're already shivering, used to an arid climate, and going to get hypothermia very fast in just that." I nodded to her light desert clothes. She took the coat with a worried frown and pulled it over her shoulders.

Fai took off his overcoat and held it out to Syaoran. "Here, Syaoran-kun, you can borrow mine."

"Thank you." Syaoran took the coat with a nod and pulled in on.

I scanned the distance for a spark of light or any sign of civilization. Down the hill, beyond some of the pines, I thought there had been a flicker of light. Squinting, I walked down the hill until The System focused on the light. A tiny flame, its glow dancing on the corner of building, came into focus, but it was too blurry to see the rest of the building. But there wasn't a tower stretching out of the forest, so it had to be small enough to hide behind the trees.

"Mokona," I said, "is my brother here?"

Mokona tapped his feet. "Hm . . . Oh! I think Nathaniel's here! It feels funny, people are tricky, but I feel something."

I started, hope hitting me in the chest like the recoil of a rifle. "Really? Where?" I held out my hands and Mokona jumped onto my palms.

"There." Mokona pointed ahead and to the right, roughly the direction of the light.

"That's great," Syaoran said with a smile.

"What about a feather, Mokona?" Fai asked. "Can you sense that?"

Mokona blinked, tilted his head and frowned. "No, I don't feel one."

I took a deep breath before turning to the others. I needed to start looking for Nathaniel. "There might be a town we could stop at before the weather gets nasty. But I'll need to go after Nathaniel quickly. I don't know what you all want to do, but if you want to stay behind, I'll return after I've found him."

The others looked at me, then at each other.

"I'd like to help you," Syaoran said, his eyebrows drawn in determination. "You've helped me recover the princess's feathers, so I'd like to help you."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Me too!"

"Count me in," Fai said. "I don't want to stay in some boring town while you're off having fun. Besides," he grinned, "if I helped Syaoran-kun and not you, that would be favoritism." Fai slung an arm around Kurogane's shoulders. "Kuro-pin can help too."

"Stop it with the names!" Kurogane snarled, shrugging the man off.

I frowned. "If Nathaniel's here, Adrian could be too. He's dangerous, remember."

Fai shrugged. "Looking for feathers has also been dangerous. And this situation is a lot like Syaoran-kun's. You won't move on from this world until you've found your brother, so neither can we. It'll go faster if we work together." He elbowed Kurogane in the ribs with a mischievous grin. "So you're coming right?"

Kurogane glared at Fai, batting his arm away. "Of course I'm coming!"

I nodded, glancing over their faces one more time, waiting for a shadow of reluctance to cross any of their faces. But it didn't appear. They seemed so certain and ready to help, it was strange. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate the help, I did, but this kind of thing was so unfamiliar to me, I felt a little off set.

I turned away, starting down the hill towards the distant light between the trees. But a second later I paused in my steps. "Thanks." I said, over my shoulder before continuing through the snow.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** This is the updated version of chapter 8 (10/10/17).

 **Two Years Ago:**

Adrian ordered me to his office one afternoon without explanation. In the elevator, I'd been near panicked that he'd found out about the ID chip, but when I arrived, he seemed busy, not angry. "Sit," he said, pointing to a chair without looking up from his screen. I did, waiting for him to continue, but he kept working. After a while I sat back and took out my screen to check the news.

Ten minutes later, someone knocked on the office doors. I turned off my screen and tucked it back into my pocket.

"Enter," Adrian said, closing his screen.

A man entered in full uniform, snapping a salute. He was young, for a soldier of the Facility, probably in his early thirties. I'd seen him in the halls occasionally for about the past six months, but otherwise, he was unfamiliar.

"Director Raiten, thank you for coming," Adrian said, standing to shake the man's hand. Adrian's smile glowed with charisma and his posture radiated control.

"Of course, sir. What can I do for you?" Raiten asked. When the handshake ended and Adrian sat back down at his desk, Raiten sat in one of the chairs facing the desk and our gazes locked.

"Sir," Raiten said, his can-do demeanor dropping a notch, "what's that doing here?"

I returned his stare silently. When passing me in the hall, most of the Facility's personnel's pulses quickened, and any smiles or conversation died. Raiten wasn't any different.

"Don't worry about Alice," Adrian said, waving away his concern. "She's here for other things. Now," Adrian opened a file on his screen, "you directed the recent strike in Yetz. How would you say that went?"

Raiten glanced at me once before devoting his attention to Adrian. "Overall: well. We took the city quickly, within two weeks, and with minimal loss of Elpedite lives."

"Please," Adrian said, "go into detail: the whole mission from start to finish, and your reasoning behind your decisions."

So Raiten recounted his original plan to take the city of Idon, and why he'd changed it once the Yetz had brought in drones. It was the perfect report, which Raiten delivered with professional enthusiasm. But half way though, something about Adrian's reactions felt off. If Adrian wanted this report for information, he'd be asking about details, testing Raiten's facts and decisions, so why wasn't he? Instead of Raiten, I focused on Adrian. He sat back in his chair, resting his head in his hand as he listened to Raiten, and for a moment he appeared so relaxed, I thought I was over-thinking it.

But then I followed Adrian's gaze. He would regularly look from Raiten to his screen, then back to Raiten. But instead of watching Raiten's face, he watched his hands, shoulders, sometimes his neck. To be sure, I activated The System, using it highlight Adrian's line of sight. I was right.

I'd let Raiten's report fade into background noise, so when he stopped talking, I realized I had no idea what he'd said.

"Excellent," Adrian said. "You have a good mind for this work, and I've only heard good things from your peers."

"Thank you, sir."

Adrian closed his screen and leaned forward. "As you should know, in a few weeks the council and I will be meeting with the Rane of Synia."

Synia, and its ruler, were allies of the Elpedite. At the meeting, Adrian would likely discuss the joined attack on the Yetz, as Synia had been talking of withdrawing from the war. I was going to be at the meeting as a member of security.

Adrian held out a folder to Raiten. "I'd like you to join me for the conference as a representative of our military force." I hid a frown. Adrian didn't need a military representative. Any point he wanted to make, he could without Raiten's help.

Raiten stood and accepted the folder, a practiced smile spreading across his face. "Thank you, sir. I'd consider it an honor."

"Wonderful." Adrian clapped his together and rose from his desk. "Everything you need to know will be in there." They shook hands again. Raiten saluted, then left.

The moment the door clicked shut, Adrian's smile dissolved into a look of irritation. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Did you pick up on that?"

"I saw you watching him," I said, crossing my arms. "What were you looking for?"

"A lie." Adrian leaned back against his desk, smirking at the door. "I found it."

"And?"

"He's here to kill me."

"Huh?" Why would anyone in the military want to kill Adrian? He had everyone convinced he was some kind of hero.

"He's from Yetz." Adrian folded his arms, "I'm almost certain. My sources can't trace him back more than ten years, and he's received too many promotions, too quickly." Adrian smirked at me. "And he's been following you."

I gripped the sides of my chair. "When?" I'd only seen him a few times. And why would he be watching _me?_ I was a deadly machine in his mind, so why hang around me if he was a traitor?

"I think he's interested in The System," Adrian said. "But he doesn't know the details of it, so he probably wants to know how you function."

"Hmm." I'd be keeping track of Raiten from now on. I wasn't too concerned—he was only a Director—but it bothered me that I hadn't noticed him. "What are you going to do about him?"

"Observe him, for now. If he approaches you, handle it as quietly as you can, then report to me immediately," Adrian's stared into the distance. "I want to use him. If he figures out what you are, he might try to make a deal with you. If he does, stall and come see me. Use your best judgment."

"Is that why you're bringing him to the meeting?"

"That's why I told him he was going to the meeting. I'm unsure he'll take this chance, so be ready to deal with him."

So I'd likely be the one to kill Raiten. Either after Adrian used him for whatever purpose he had in mind, or in some quiet corner of the Facility. But regardless, Raiten would be dead soon.

"Fine," I said, rising from my chair. "Was that it?"

"Yes, you can go." Adrian waved me away.

"Wait," I said. "How did you know he was lying? Couldn't he have been nervous or excited?"

Adrian tilted his head. "Good question." He held up a finger and half pointed it towards me. "If you need to tell if someone is lying: talk about something that should be innocuous, but could pertain to a secret. If they overreact, they're hiding something."

"Hmm." I filed away the information for later. I wasn't sure when I'd use it, but it seemed valuable.

I left Adrian to his scheming and headed for the elevators. Adrian would wait for Raiten to speak with me. If Raiten didn't approach me before the meeting, I'd be ordered to kill him in some quiet room of the Facility. But I didn't understand why Adrian would want an assassin to attend the meeting, or why he'd let him speak to me. Adrian knew I wanted to kill him, I'd never hidden my murderous intent from him. I radiated my hatred for him with venomous glares and a cold voice.

So what was Adrian after?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I shrugged off my coat, throwing it onto the dining room table before collapsing onto the couch closing my eyes. Nathaniel would be back in about an hour, when his class ended. I'd finished my training, then practiced at the shooting range, without using The System.

Shooting without The System had become a habit. I still used it regularly, but for at least thirty minutes a day I'd shut it down and use my eyes, hands, gun, and nothing else. It made me feel in control.

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, Nathaniel was perched on the other end of the couch. Across from him, Ruetile's projection leaned over a game-holo and Mika sat on the floor observing both of them. It was one of Nathaniel's flashy games, with miniature fireworks and annoying music every time someone captured a piece.

"Oh, good morning," Nathaniel said as I shifted awake.

"Good afternoon, you mean," I said, checking the time. I stretched and leaned forward. "How was class?"

"It was all right." Nathaniel selected a game piece, and tapped an empty square. The piece spun across the board and onto the space. I hadn't played this game, so it was nonsense to me, but Nathaniel had a concentrated furrow between his eyebrows. It was the same look he wore when he was studying a difficult lesson, or made a mistake, so he was likely loosing this game.

"He's failing biology," Ruetile chirped, smirking at Nathaniel.

Nathaniel glared at her. "I am not."

"No, he's not failing," Mika said, rolling his eyes. "But you are starting to struggle."

Ruetile moved one of her pieces. Nathaniel grimaced. "We're studying the immune system. I can't tell the difference between a macrophage or a helper T cell or phagocytes, and I don't need to."

I wasn't sure what those terms meant, but if they were part of the immune system, they seemed important. I raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want to be a doctor? That stuff sounds pretty applicable."

"I want to be a doctor, not a pathologist," Nathaniel said. He swiped a hand, and one of Ruetile's pieces vanished with a blue flash and an obnoxious jingle.

Mika and I made eye contact. "Does he need to know that?" I asked.

"Yep." Mika shot Nathaniel an amused glance.

Nathaniel opened his mouth, likely to protest again, but I spoke over him. "Can you help teach him that stuff?"

"Of course. Biology is one of my favorite subjects, so I don't even need to download the information."

"Hah!" Ruetile barked a laugh as one of Nathaniel's pieces exploded.

He crossed his arms. "I'm still winning."

I was glad Mika would be able to help Nathaniel, as he'd done with much of Nathaniel's education. Nathaniel outpaced me in his level of education a few years ago. My education had stopped five years ago, and Nathaniel was very bored, and very smart. He'd blazed through his lessons and left me with little way to help him once he started the harder ones. It gave me a feeling of inadequacy, but Mika's assistance lessened the feeling.

A quiet evening passed. Well, quiet for the three of them. They played several rounds of their game, after which Mika and Nathaniel studied for a while. Ruetile and Nathaniel played a spinning, endless tune on the piano. Eventually Nathaniel went to bed while Ruetile and Mika shut down for the night.

I finished the night feeling relaxed, despite the illegal ID chip hidden in my room and the strange predicament with Raiten.

The calm wouldn't last, but I enjoyed these fleeting moments between war and Adrian's games, when I could find them.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The training room seemed cavernous at night, the shadows seemed to push the walls out and the ceiling was lost in darkness. I stood of front of a punching bag, practicing a basic set of blows: jab, cross, hook, uppercut, now as instinctual as breathing. I could get lost in the repetition as the impact of my punches echoed off the walls.

It was something like two in the morning. I didn't want to sleep or stand still, and I didn't want to wake Nathaniel. If he knew I was up, he'd come sit by me until dawn. But he had class in the morning, so I'd abandoned our rooms and come here to burn away some of my volatile energy.

I delivered another cross, but before I could strike an uppercut, the training room door hissed open. I held my stance and pivoted around the punching bag to get a view of the door. I'd expected a janitor, maybe a lost member of the night staff. Instead Adrian stood just inside the doorway.

Resuming my strikes, I tried to maintain my usual cold demeanor. But I remembered the stolen ID chip, and panic edged my thoughts like rust. He shouldn't be here this time of night. If there was some last minute mission, he would've called me.

I needed to lose myself in the pattern, use the familiarity to keep the panic away. If I focused on this, I could remain calm, and if I was calm, he couldn't read anything from me. _Jab._ "What do you want?" _Cross, hook, uppercut._

"Sit down."

My wrist buckled on the next punch.

There's a strange air around frozen lakes during a snowfall. The snow smothers the usual sounds of nature. The sounds of branches in the wind, bird song, the trickle of a stream are all swallowed by the snow. Only silence remains, except for the groans the ice makes as it settles on the lake. Warping, cracking echoes that fill the space between snowflakes.

When Adrian was angry, his voice would frost over with that sound, just along the edges.

I had to take a few seconds to chase away my fear, replacing it with anger. Usually, this strategy worked for me, but right now, I could only summon a sliver of rage. I lowered my arms and raised my eyes to his. He pointed to the benches along the wall, his hand clenched tight. I abandoned the punching bag and sat where he indicated. Adrenaline made the tips of my fingers feel fuzzy. I set my hands on my knees, reinforcing myself. I'd failed, and now the consequences were about to make impact.

Adrian stood a few feet in front of me, but I locked my glare on his shoes. He knew about the chip. It was the only thing I'd done that would have made him this mad _._ I'd screwed up. My thoughts dissolved into static. All I could do was grip my knees to try to anchor myself.

"How did you get it?" Adrian finally asked. He held out his hand, and in its center was the chip. I'd hidden it in my bed frame, since I couldn't keep it on my person. I hissed in a breath. He'd been in our rooms. With Nathaniel.

I opened my mouth, but Adrian spoke before I could. "Tell me _everything."_

My mouth snapped shut. I gave a sharp nod and took three rattling breaths, one breath for panic, one for anger, and one to accept reality. I wanted to jump up and strike him. Remove the threat he posed, and beat him until his blood dripped from my knuckles, but I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough. He'd bat me aside and the situation would be even worse for my retaliation.

So I told him about the mission, how I'd found the chips and folders and taken one, how I'd burned the matching folders and hidden the chip. I held my voice steady, sterile.

When I'd finished, he made a sound between a sigh and a growl. "What was your plan?" he asked. "What were you going to do next?"

"Wait until you had a busy day. One when you wouldn't call for me or notice if I was gone. I would've taken Nathaniel, stopped at a makeup booth to disguise myself, and gone to a rail station. I was going to use the chip to get us on a rail to Chav'i."

"And then?" he asked, an impatient growl in his tone.

I shrugged. "Find a job. Get a home." _Live_.

Adrian's gaze burned into the top of my head, but I kept my eyes low. He sighed, some of the anger draining from his stance. "I'd expected you to try something like this someday. You've always been explosive in your anger. I'm impressed you waited this long." He paused. When he resumed his voice held a tinge of disgust. "But this was just stupid."

I frowned as he sat on the bench next to me. "Not the first part," Adrian said, rubbing the chip in his fingers. "That was smart. But you thought you could make a life in Chav'i? Anywhere?"

I wasn't sure what he meant. Why it would be such an issue? He read my confusion from my silence.

"I'll tell how your plan would have gone," he said. "Maybe you would have left the Facility and arrived at the rail station. Probably not, but you might have made it that far. If you managed to get to Chav'i, where would you have been hired? What are you good at?"

My eyebrows drew together. I realized what he was trying to tell me, and it left me cold.

"Nothing," Adrian said. His tone cut at me like a razor. "Nothing but fighting and killing. You don't have the social skills to manage even a basic job. If you wanted to educate yourself, you'd have to pay for your schooling, but you wouldn't even be able to pay for Nathaniel's. That would leave you working at the mines. They'd pay you enough to live on, barely, but you'd be working twelve hours shifts every day. You'd have no time for Nathaniel and no money for his education." Adrian paused, letting me recover from the barrage. "The only work you'd find would be the same thing you do now."

Despair constricted my chest, leaving my breaths short and painful. There was _nothing_. Nothing I could do to make this situation with the ID chip better, nothing I could do to get Nathaniel and myself away from Adrian, nowhere we could go, and no one who would help us.

Back at the beginning, I'd told myself I would wait. I couldn't do anything then, but I'd wait for the moment I could escape, fight, anything. There might have been a window for action, but if there was, it had already closed. It would never open again.

I finally looked at Adrian. His green eyes almost glowed in the dark, glinting with rage. But I thought I saw a sliver of sympathy as well, and it felt like a blow to the stomach. "This can get better," he said. "This can be your job; you can build a life like this. I know I've kept your leash short, but if you show me you're loyal, I can make things better. Maybe you'd like a house, outside of the facility?"

I frowned. My thoughts drifted back to me, away from the static they had become. But they were still cold and indistinct. Adrian, the bench beneath me, the training room, even my hands felt distant and unfamiliar. "A house?" asked the tiny part of me keeping up with the conversation.

"Yes, one that's entirely yours." I ran a numb hand over my face before letting it drop back into my lap. I wanted that, a house. But I didn't want the life that it would be tied to. "It will have to be isolated," Adrian said, "but you might like that."

"Oh." I couldn't get away from this. I didn't want this. Nathaniel didn't want this. I didn't want to become this person. But that was the problem: I already was. "Okay," I said, my voice sounding flat even to me.

"Good." Adrian slapped a hand onto my shoulder. "Show me you're taking this seriously, and you'll get a house. We'll start there, then we can talk about more." I nodded. He stood, pocketing the chip. He turned and left, leaving me alone in the shadows.

I didn't cry, I hadn't in years. Instead I just felt tired, like I'd always felt this coming, always been struggling against it, but now that it was here, I didn't have any energy left to be anguished.

My life would be better now. No more fighting this: I could just give up and follow Adrian's instructions, never having to think for myself. Nathaniel would be happier, and this could put him on track for a more normal life. But I'd be killing for the rest of my life. I'd always be _this._

I rose to put away the punching bag, my movements feeling stiff and mechanical. When I released the bag, my hands shook, and instead for turning left when I exited the training room, towards Nathaniel and the regret I'd feel when I saw him, I went right, towards the shooting gallery.

 **Present:**

"I do believe we're being stared at," Fai said, leaning forward to rest his chin in his hand. Tables, chairs, and people crowded the floor of the wood and brick building in an unorganized mess. Barmaids weaved through with practiced ease, balancing trays and glasses. A huge fire crackled in the fireplace, welcoming the crowd and filling the upper half of the room with haze. The place stank of smoke and alcohol, but the heat and shelter had been a relief after our hike through the snow.

My shoes, the bottom part of my pants, and my hair were soaked by the snow. I'd taken off my boots to dry, but there wasn't much I could do about the rest.

Syaoran leaned across the table, glancing at the sea of people around us. "Our clothes are completely different. We stand out too much."

The moment we'd entered the building all eyes had locked on us. It wasn't a mystery why. The clothing of this world was bizarre. The men wore thick coats, some with handkerchiefs around their necks, stockings pulled over their pants to just below the knees, and clunky boots and shoes. The women's clothes were even stranger. They maneuvered around the room in frilly dresses that constricted their waists, but billowed out into skirts that took up five times the space the woman did. It was a wonder they could navigate a crowded space like this, let alone breathe.

Kurogane ignored the stares, or didn't care, as he tore apart a steak he'd ordered and Mokona edged toward his plate like a giggling hyena.

Sakura sat next to Syaoran, her head constantly pivoting as she tried to take in the room's activity all at once. Her eyes were bright with curiosity, so I didn't think she'd fall into another sleeping spell soon.

"Our clothes are different." Fai shrugged. "Especially Kuro-tan's."

Kurogane shot a glare at Fai and might have tried to growl something at him past the steak.

Syaoran glanced back at the tavern owner before leaning in closer. "Will everything be all right? I mean, the food."

"Hm?" Fai tilted his head.

Syaoran's eyebrows drew together. "We don't have any money for his world."

"We'll be just fine."

"Are you saying we should steal?" I asked. "We could, but that would bring up more issues with the law enforcement here we need to consider." This town was fairly small, which mean we wouldn't be able to hide in it. Leaving the town would mean hiking through more snow, and with no idea of how far the next town was, that would be dangerous with how ill-equipped for the cold we were.

Fai laughed. "No, that won't be necessary. Right, Sakura-chan?"

"Huh?" Sakura said, blinking.

"How will she help?" I asked. I couldn't think of how Sakura would help us with this. She'd been narcoleptic for our journey so far, and hadn't displayed any expertise that I could remember.

Fai put a hand to his chin and looked over my shoulder. "I'd say that game over there would be a good start."

I twisted in my chair to see two well-dressed men playing cards a few tables over. Their clothes were full of ruffles and their faces were white with makeup. I turned back to Fai with a frown, unable to connect Sakura to money to these men. But Fai was already moving to help Sakura from her seat.

Minutes later, a bewildered Sakura sat across from two men, blinking at a fan of cards in her hands. Fai and Syaoran stood behind her, coaching her, I assumed. Syaoran seemed all right with the idea of Sakura gambling, and she didn't protest, so I decided to let them deal with whatever would happen. Gambling could get us money, but I had no idea why Sakura was our chosen gambler.

I remained at the table across from Kurogane, who'd ordered another steak after Mokona snatched the first. He tore at the second one with equal ferocity, occasionally pausing to bat Mokona away.

Watching the bustle of the tavern, I sat back and crossed my arms. I knew we had to establish ourselves in this world before anything else, but knowing Nathaniel could be here wore down my patience. He wouldn't like this world. It was too cold and there wasn't even electricity.

I closed my eyes and dialed up my hearing. The tavern buzzed with conversation, but I focused on a few voices and listened for anything useful. After several conversations of farm work, weather, and general life, one final broke from normal chatter.

"They just disappear."

"How do you mean?"

"In the middle of the night, they vanish. The rest of the town's lost their minds. Carter had to go through there about a week back and they chased him off the moment he stepped into town."

"Can hardly blame them if—"

"What the heck is going on?" My eyes snapped open and I turned to look behind me. One of the men playing against Sakura stood halfway out of his seat, glaring at her. I dismissed the conversation I'd followed, redirecting my focus to the sneering man. "Maybe you're cheating."

Maybe she was. But the man's anger meant she was winning, so that was good news for us. Fai scooped an assortment of coins and bills off the table into a bag, grinning.

"She had no opportunity to cheat. But," Fai pointed over to our table, "if you have any complaints, the two in black over there will be happy to hear them."

I wasn't sure how intimidating I appeared. I was just a kid, but that might be irrelevant. To these men, I was a stranger in all black, scars up my arms with enough muscle to imply I was used to hard work. The sword on my hip and angry glint in my eyes probably solidified the look of a fighter, but that was juxtaposed against my age, which must have left them with the impression of something off about me. To be sure, I unsheathed my knife, held it up, and spun it between my fingers.

With Kurogane, there was no question. Upon hearing Fai reference us, he glowered over at the men or Fai—probably Fai—with a growl.

The two men burst into nervous laughter, throwing their hands up. "S-sorry. Never mind! It's fine."

Fai held out an arm to Sakura. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. Because of you, our treasury is well stocked."

Fai, Sakura, and Syaoran returned to our table. Our barkeep, a large man with a bristling mustache, came over after they sat down. "Young lady, I'm impressed!" As he approached, Mokona darted off the table and onto the empty chair next to me, out of the man's sight.

Sakura gave him a nervous smile. "I still don't understand the rules. Did I do okay?"

The man bellowed a laugh. "And you're good with the jokes too!" He eyed us each for a moment. "Your clothes are . . . unusual. Are you travelers?"

"Yes," Syaoran said, "We've been searching for something, and it's taken us a long way."

"And your next destination?" the man asked.

Syaoran glanced at me. "We're not sure yet."

The man nodded, his cheer vanishing. "Then I have some advice for you. If you're thinking of travelling north, choose another direction." The man's mouth had become a firm line, and his shoulders tightened. I straighten in my seat, uncrossing my arms. I'd dismiss his unease, but he'd handled our appearances well. Whatever he was talking about, it was more than some quirk in their rumor mill.

Fai propped his head in his hands. "Why would that be?"

"There's a town to the north with a frightening legend connected to it."

Syaoran straightened. "What legend is that?"

The man set down the tray on an empty table beside us and folded his arms. "Long ago, in a castle just north of that town, there was a beautiful princess with locks of gold. One day, a bird with a feather in its beak flew down to the princess. It gave the feather to the princess and said, 'This feather is power, a strange and wonderful power, and I give it to you.' And the princess took the feather. Soon after, the king and queen died and the castle passed to the princess. With that, the children of the castle's town began disappearing one by one, as if they were drawn to the feather. And the children never returned." My gaze settled on my knuckles, and I realized I'd unconsciously clenched my hand into a fist. It could just be a legend, but the part about the feather kept me from dismissing the story.

A feather with 'strange and wonderful power' sounds too much like the feathers Sakura and Syaoran are looking for. But Mokona said he hadn't sensed a feather.

 _But first._ "Mokona," I whispered, "the reading you're getting on my brother—what direction is it coming from?"

Mokona folded his ears back. "North."

I closed my eyes. "Of course."

"That's a fairy tale you're telling us," Fai said.

"No." The waiter shook his head. "It's all true."

Syaoran had that determined light in his eyes, the one that sparked up whenever a feather was mentioned. "So," he said, "the northern town and the castle really exist? If it's been more than three hundred years they must be in ruins by now. But even with a story like that connected to it . . ."

"If it was over three hundred years ago, why avoid it now?" I asked.

The man gave me a nervous stare. "Because the children have started to disappear again, just like in the legend."

Our group shared a look, before everyone's eyes fell on Syaoran and Sakura. Syaoran frowned. "I'd like to go," he said, "even if Mokona said there isn't a feather here. But I said I'd help you . . . "

He trailed off when I raised a hand. "We don't need to split up or anything," I said. I nodded to Mokona, "It seems I need to go north as well."

The barkeep's eyes darted across our group, his eyebrows low in bewilderment. I almost saw him give a mental shrug as Fai handed him a handful of coins and he bustled back to the kitchen.

When the man was out of eavesdropping distance, Syaoran faced me. "Do you think your brother will be near that town?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I've seen nothing to contradict it yet, and with the mention of a feather, it seems strangely coincidental. But," I looked at Mokona, "I thought you said you didn't sense a feather in this world?"

Mokona sprang back into motion. "Mokona doesn't!" His ears fluttered. "Mokona can't sense anything."

Fai nodded. "But it's still worth looking into. A legend about a powerful feather seems awfully specific."

Kurogane slapped down his fork and knife next to his empty plate and pushed away from the table. "Then let's get this done." He strode towards the door.

The rest of us shared a glance and followed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I grappled with my horse's reigns, trying to get the creature back under control. The horse whipped its head and stomped, settling down when I gave another yank on the reins. " _Why,_ " I hissed, "would anyone think of animals as a good form of transportation?"

Fai laughed, walking his horse passed me with ease. "Alice-san, maybe you should loosen the reins a little? I think you may be confusing him."

I followed his advice, letting a few inches of the lead slip through my hands. My horse snorted, but stopped trying to rip the reins from my grip.

When Sakura had won her game, she'd earned more money than expected. Enough to get us all new clothes, food, and horses. Buying clothes had been interesting. Syaoran and Sakura had been fitted quickly with little fuss. Kurogane and Fai followed, Kurogane insisting on black clothing.

I'd baffled the tailor. Apparently, your gender strictly defined the style of clothing you should wear. When the tailor came to take my measurements, he started talking about styles of skirt and color. Maybe the women in the tavern could maneuver in those dresses, but I couldn't. I'd had to carefully explain to him that, yes, I wanted an overcoat and pants, yes, I was certain, and yes, I am a woman but you're getting paid for this and I'm in a hurry so do your job. After that he'd been happy to let me purchase a blue and grey overcoat, trousers, a suffocating neckerchief, and boots. Over all, it was better than a dress, but still a heavy and stiff outfit.

That had been yesterday. Today, I'd had spent the last six hours learning how to ride a horse. Watching the others, who all had some experience riding, taught me how to place my feet and how to sit. I'd improved through the day, but I was still making mistakes. Like yanking the reins too hard.

I tapped my heels against the horse's side gently, to avoid getting bucked off, and the beast lumbered into a nice trot. In the front of the group, Sakura shared a horse with Syaoran. Behind them was Fai, then me, and Kurogane in the back.

The order had shuffled on occasion on our journey to the northern town, the road wide enough in some places for us to ride in a group instead of single file. We'd met no one on our way, surrounded by leafless trees and snow.

"This forest is certainly spooky," Fai said, admiring the dead trees.

Kurogane snorted. "I don't care about that. It's getting colder, isn't it?"

I ran a check with The System. "It's dropped to thirty degrees. When we started we started it was around forty."

Fai pondered the overcast sky. "It could snow soon."

Syaoran looked at Sakura. "Are you all right?"

Sakura smiled and pulled her cloak tighter. "I'm fine. These clothes are very warm."

"Ah," Fai said. "Sakura-chan, your country is in a desert, isn't it?"

"Yes," she said, "but the desert at night can be very cold."

Fai leaned over to Kurogane. "And your country, Kuro-rin?"

Kurogane's gaze stayed fixed on the path ahead, but the hint of a glare settled over his features. "Japan is a country with four seasons. It's cold in the winter and hot in the summer."

"Alice-san?" Fai asked.

"My country," I said, trying to guide my horse away from the edge of the road and a patch of grass, "has gentle climates." On our trips away from the facility, I'd spent many days sitting in the grass with Nathaniel, letting a cool breeze run between us as we admired the mountains and pines. "It can get hot, and it sometimes snows, but it mostly rains a lot."

Mokona, who rested in Fai's collar, asked, "What about your country, Fai?"

"It's in the far north, so it's very cold."

"And you, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked.

"Well," he said, a nostalgic smile on his face, "my father brought me along with him to many different countries."

"So," Sakura said, "you're used to cold _and_ hot countries!" I thought I caught a bit of sadness in Syaoran's smile. It would make sense, as a childhood friend of his, this shouldn't be news to Sakura. But Syaoran hid it well, and I wasn't sure I'd hadn't imagined it.

"Look!" Mokona cried. He pointed ahead of us, and I followed his paw to a sign on the side of the road. An elegantly carved wooden board hung from an iron pole, the paint faded and cracking. There were characters on the sign, but I couldn't read them. We pulled our horses to a stop under it, gazing at it as it swung in the wind, chains squeaking.

"Hmm," Fai said, "what does it say?"

"It says 'spirit." Syaoran said. "At least I _think_ that's how it's read. If they pronounce the letters the same way as the language my father taught me."

As Syaoran explained, I guided my horse around him to stand in the center of the road. We stood on the crest of a hill, and below us the road wound into a town. The buildings were all made of wood, with the largest no bigger than a townhouse. Smoke billowed from the chimneys of every building. Most of them appeared to be homes, but I couldn't see anyone in the streets.

I leaned forward on my horse, standing on the stirrups to get a better view as I used the System to sharpen my vision and increase my hearing. The streets were empty; I couldn't even see someone on a doorstep. Silence and the whispers of the wind were all I heard. I was about to look back to the others, but in one of the windows of the houses, a curtain fluttered.

"Hmm," Kurogane muttered. I glanced over at him, and our eyes met. Something was wrong here.

Syaoran, Fai and Sakura were oblivious, chattering about Syaoran's linguistic skills.

"Hey!" Kurogane barked. "This isn't the time for cheerful conversation."

The others jumped, then turned their gazes toward the town. "It's the middle of the day," I said. "People should be out, working, playing, or clearing snow. Mokona, is Nathaniel here?"

Mokona's ears fluttered. "He feels close here."

"Right then." I flicked my reins and started down the trail. The others followed, silent as we approached the town.

When we reached the first row of houses I started scanning the windows. I'd catch the flutter of movement or a sliver of a face before the curtains fell closed. I used The System to increase my hearing and found a clamor of whispers fluttering through the houses.

"Who are they?"

"Get away from the window!"

"Go tell James. Quickly!"

The snowy streets were untouched, with the exception of a few trails of footprints. I wasn't sure when it had fallen, but a hard layer had formed on the surface of the snow, so I guessed it had been at least a day.

"I have a feeling," Fai said, his voice low, "that we aren't entirely welcome here."

"It's not just a feeling," Kurogane said. "They don't want us here."

A click sounded to our left, and a child swung open a house's door. Freckles peppered her face, framed by a corkscrew set of pigtails. She clutched a stuffed toy cat and stared up at us with sleepy curiosity.

Syaoran gave the girl a soft smile. "Hello. Could you tell me if this town is—"

The door jerked open and a woman's hand reached out, snagging the girl by her arm and wrenching back into the house. The door slammed shut and two locks click into place, followed by a woman's earnest whisper. "You know you're not allowed outside!"

I wanted to listen more and try to gather more information, but a stampede of crunching footsteps rose behind us. Yanking my horse's reigns, I spun the animal around, Fai and Kurogane doing the same. Syaoran didn't move, keeping his back to whatever approached, setting himself between it and Sakura.

A mob of townsmen stopped in front of us, rifles leveled. Blue lines crisscrossed the air between us and the mob, each one the line of fire. At least three pointed at each of our hearts. Without realizing it, I angled my horse so that I faced perpendicular to the mob, presenting a smaller target. My hand closed over air at my hip, and I realized I'd reached for my nonexistent gun. I clenched my hand into a fist over the space, frustration coiling in my muscles.

"Who are you people?" shouted a man at the front of the mob. He didn't have a gun pointed at us, but he did have one slung across his back. His eyebrows furrowed into a seething glare.

I took a slow breath and reminded myself that they hadn't shot us yet, so they must be open to talking. I'd never been good at talking. I could fight and shoot, but negotiating wasn't in my skill set. So I kept my mouth shut and hoped Kurogane would do the same.

Syaoran spoke, his voice level. "We travel from town to town investigating old legends and buildings."

Good, not too far from the truth; it was a good idea to keep a lie simple. We'd need to stay here and look around, so this would be a good excuse for our nosiness.

The man sneered, his eyebrows arching like angry cats. "What do you do with this 'investigation?"

Syaoran, with the most matter-of-fact tone, said, "We're going to write a book."

 _There goes simple._

"A book?" the man barked.

"Yes," Syaoran said.

"Written by children like you?"

"No," Syaoran pointed to Fai, "written by him."

Fai nodded, picking up the lie without a blink. "It's all true." He waved a hand at Sakura and Syaoran. "This young lady is my sister. The boy is my assistant." He pointed to me and I stiffened, waiting to see what role I'd be assigned. "This is Alec, our guide."

All right. I'd be a boy for our stay here. It'd better to appear predictable to this explosive town: a boy, rather than a girl dressed as one. Anything new or strange was usually met with violence by frightened populaces.

"And he's the hired help," Fai said indicating Kurogane.

Kurogane's head snapped around. "Who's the hired help—?" Kurogane's sentence ended in a snarl as Mokona, who had hidden behind Kurogane, launched himself into the man's lower back.

A shout rang out behind us. "Stop right there!"

I twisted in my saddle to see a man dart between our horses. He had a lanky build, a pair of spectacles perched on the edge of his nose, and his dark eyes glowered at the men before us. He swung a threadbare bag with his angry steps.

The man set himself between us and the guns of the townsmen. "Don't you dare point guns at innocent travelers!"

The men's furious expressions faded into concern as they lowered their rifles. The man in front glowered at us before speaking to the newcomer. "But at a time of crisis like this, outsiders . . ." Their instant response meant this man was some figure of authority, or at least great respect, in the town. I wondered what position he held to get this kind of obedience.

"It's precisely because they're outsiders that your guns are so rude." The peacekeeper turned to face us, arms open wide. "Please forgive us, travelers. And I welcome you to Spirit."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I'm Kyle Rondart, the doctor of the town" Kyle said, walking backing into the foyer with a tray of steaming mugs. The doctor, after talking down the town's militia, had offered to let us stay in the old inn he used as a home and office. The building stood two stories high, made of brick and dark wood with a plain iron chandelier hanging from the ceiling, flickering with candle light. Combined with the crackling fireplace and soft couch, it was a cozy place.

"Thank you so much for putting us up," Syaoran said. He stood next to Sakura, who sat on the couch. Fai leaned on the other side and Kurogane leaned against the fireplace, arms crossed. I hung back, behind the others and the couch.

"Think nothing of it," the doctor said, handing each of us a mug, "I have more rooms than I can use."

I sniffed and found the sharp scent unfamiliar. I took a small sip. It tasted vaguely similar to coffee, but less bitter, almost spicy. Maybe some cinnamon? It could have been tea, but one I wasn't familiar with. None of the others seemed put off by the drink, so I absently sipped at it as they spoke with Kyle.

There was a moment's warning as the door handle clicked, then the front door slammed open.

"What is this supposed to mean, doctor?" A man strode into the room, his face set in a dark scowl and a cane tapping alongside him. "Are you insane, taking stick-at-naught strangers into your home at a time like this?" He towered above his companion, a hunched old man scuttling along at his side.

"Mr. Grosum," the old man begged, "please calm yourself."

"Who can be calm in this situation, mayor?" The man slammed his cane down with a crack. "When we haven't found a single child!" His eyes met mine, accusing, before darting to the others.

"Exactly why I took them in," Kyle said. "These people say they've been investigating legends throughout the lands. There is no telling how much help they could be in our current situation."

Kyle surprised me. In one regard, this wasn't a terrible idea. From his point of view, we were researchers who could potentially help. However, it was incredibly naïve to trust a bunch of strangers who suddenly appeared in town after the children started disappearing. But maybe he had assessed both of these possibilities and invited us to his inn to observe us. Whichever was true, he was smart. I'd have to watch him.

Mr. Grosum scowled at us. "A bunch of good-for-nothing travelers from god knows where. What could they possibly know?"

Kyle waved a hand at us. "They could know things that no one who lives here knows."

I held back a snort. He didn't know how right he was.

"After all that's happened," Mr. Grosum said, his voice lower, "whatever they know, it's too late." He spun away, stalking out of the house.

The mayor glanced between Kyle and Mr. Grosum. "I-In any event, doctor, please make sure these people do not go out of doors at night." The mayor shuffled after Mr. Grosum and Kyle closed the door behind them.

"Forgive me," Kyle said. "He gave me no time for introductions. That was the mayor and Mr. Grosum. He—Mr. Grosum, that is—owns most of the land in this area."

Fai leaned forward, giving the doctor a sympathetic smile. "We've come during a terrible time for you, haven't we? We heard the legend in the next town over."

The doctor sighed, his gaze falling to the floor. "I, too, assumed it was a fairy tale, I never believed that children would actually begin to go missing. We put every effort possible into the search, but we never found even one of them. And now the number is as high as twenty!"

My eyebrows shot up. Twenty kids. Twenty children who'd disappeared was certainly alarming. But it was also ridiculous. How did twenty kids just vanish? What kind of security did this town have? Although, twenty missing kids _would_ justify the hostile greeting.

Sakura put a hand over her mouth. "That many . . . "

The doctor frowned, determination setting his mouth in a thin line. "But I didn't lie to the mayor and Mr. Grosum. I don't care how trivial the knowledge seems, if you know anything that might lead us to find the children, please tell us!"

Kyle's request opened a door for me. I could tell him a simplified story about Nathaniel, only telling him that he was missing and I was searching for him. Nathaniel could be among the missing, but if my brother was here, in town, then Kyle could tell me and this would be over. But if not, he could know something about Nathaniel. Kyle was seemingly the kindest person we'd met so far, so he was probably the person to ask. This could get him to mentally place me on the same side as the rest of the town. That would mean I'd have to distance myself from the others, but only be when the town was watching. I'd inform them of my plan once Kyle left.

"Doctor Kyle," I said, remembering to deepen my voice to fit a boy's, "I've come here with more personal reasons than my companions." I took a step forward and raised my hearing until I could listen to his heartbeat. Kyle might be the good person he appeared to be, but those people were very rare, and I wasn't ready to accept that he was one of them. If what I was about to say made him nervous, I wanted to know it. "My younger brother is missing, and I heard he'd been seen in this town. He has short black hair, like mine." I raised a hand to chest height, "He's about this tall, and his eyes are blue, but he wears an eyepatch over his left eye."

While I spoke, I listened to Rondart's breathing, his heartbeat. I thought of Adrian, of how his eyes always found the signals of a lie, and I tried to channel his cold logic. This wasn't the neutral kind of topic Adrian advised me to use, but it might tell me something.

Rondart held his hands at his side, a relaxed stance. His eyebrows drew together, but that was likely an expression of concern. "I'm sorry," Rondart said, sympathy in his voice, "but you're the only newcomers we've had in a long time. I haven't seen any children with that description." His breathing remained steady, but his heartbeat rose. I frowned. That could indicate a lie, though it could also indicate honest empathy. His hands remained still and his eyes stayed fixed on mine. I'd assume he was telling the truth.

If Nathaniel wasn't living with the townsfolk, but was nearby, I'd count him among the missing. That left three possibilities, only one of them good. Either all the missing children were alive somewhere, Nathaniel among them, or they were all dead. That was terrible enough. But the last possibility was that Nathaniel had been here, but the town had turned him away and left him to the cold. Mokona had said Nathaniel's presence felt odd. What if that meant he was dead?

A bolt of dread shot through me before I crushed it. Nothing had changed. I was still focusing on finding Nathaniel. Whatever the results, I could deal with them later.

But if he was dead, I'd kill whoever was responsible.

I let that icy promise set in my heart. "Thank you," I said. I'd managed to keep my expression calm, but I could only smooth my voice from sharp to stiff. "But my source was very reliable. If my brother isn't in the town, he could be among the missing children. I'll do everything I can to help find them."

Kyle beamed. "Thank you. I'm grateful for any help."

I managed to give him a tepid smile in return. Until I found Nathaniel, I wouldn't take anyone's word as truth.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"The good news is we have rooms for the night," Fai said.

We stood in the hall on the second floor of the inn. We'd been left to select our own rooms after Kyle had left to assist in another night's search. A window in the hall showed him joining a team of men, each with a lantern, as they disappeared into the shadows of the town. Sakura watched the party disperse with a worried frown.

Fai nudged Syaoran with an elbow. "That was a smooth move out there, telling them we're writing a book."

Syaoran grinned. "The same thing happened when I was traveling with my father."

Fai sat on the windowsill, watching the search party. "The situation is grave for these people. Although there's no telling whether it has anything to do with the princess with locks of gold. Alice-san, what do you think?"

I studied the trees outside. "For now, I'm going to assume it's a person and not some magical phenomenon that's responsible. We should consider both, but we shouldn't trust anyone. This town is too isolated for a traveler to be responsible and go unseen. I'm going to try to get closer to the town to find the culprit, which means distancing myself from the rest of you." I glanced at each of them. "Tomorrow I'll go on my own to investigate some things. There are some techniques I know from my world that help solve situations like this."

Fai stretched, pushing off from the windowsill. "That's a good idea. I think we'll all be doing some sleuthing tomorrow. For now, though, we should get some sleep."

"Right," I said.

Sakura's head bobbed and she stumbled forward. Syaoran gasped, lunging to catch her under the arms.

Fai laughed. "And I imagine Her Highness could use some rest."

Syaoran and Fai carried Sakura into a nearby room, laying her in the bed. I followed them in, taking off my coat and hanging it on the corner of the other free bed in the room.

"Alice-san," Fai said, "not that I'm objecting, but if you're posing as a boy, wouldn't it be odd to sleep here? Maybe you should take your own room."

"I think it best if I sleep in here," I said, leaning against the bed frame. "I'll be awake before anyone else, so I'll leave the room before Kyle or anyone notices. And I don't think it's wise for any of us to sleep alone while were here, especially Sakura. Kyle might trust us, but the rest of the town certainly doesn't. Scared people do stupid things."

Fai propped his hands on his hips. "That's a good point. Syaoran?" Fai and I looked to Syaoran for approval.

"I think that's a good idea," Syaoran said, glancing from Sakura to the window.

"All right," I said.

"Mokona will stay too!" Mokona flew from Fai's shoulder and onto Sakura's bed, landing on the pillow next to her with a giggle.

"Well then," Fai said, "goodnight." He left the room with a wave.

"Goodnight," Syaoran said, his gaze lingering on Sakura before he followed Fai out of the room.

I shut the door behind them and checked for any locks I could use. There wasn't a keypad by the door, of course. The only mechanism I could find was a bolt on the door and frame. I slid it into place, giving the door a good tug after to test it. Satisfied, I walked to the window and latched it.

I scanned the room, giving it a final check. Sakura and Mokona were asleep, the window was secure, and the door was locked. Now I just had to wait until morning.

Staring out the window, I slumped onto my bed. I didn't want to sleep tonight, not with so many uncertainties around me, so instead I watched the street, waiting. A man with a lantern patrolled, peering down every road. He marched from view, then the glow from his lantern disappeared as well.

Hours later, snow had covered the man's footprints, leaving a white sheet across the town. Snowflakes shivered down from the sky and crows shuffled in the dead tree branches.

Sakura groaned, rolling over and rubbing her eyes. She sat up, blinking at me.

"Did I fall asleep again?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, shifting to face her. "We're in one of the inn's rooms. The others are down the hall."

She nodded, looking from the door to the rest of the room. When her eyes landed on the window, she jumped to her feet.

I stood, following her line of sight, but there was nothing. Only the empty street, the snow, and the birds. "What is it?" I asked.

Sakura ran to the window, pressing her hands against the pane. "It's the princess with the locks of gold!"

The crows took off from the branches, flying low over the snow. I moved to stand behind Sakura, trying to find the woman she was talking about, but there was no one there. The System analyzed the street, checking for anything matching a human figure. It targeted some of the tree branches, but those were errors, so I dismissed them. Nothing else came up.

"Sakura," I said, frowning, "I don't see anything."

"What?" she said. "But she's right there." She pointed to the middle of the vacant street.

"Here," I said, "move over for a moment."

Sakura stepped aside and I unlatched the window, shoving it open and letting in a gust of winter air. I listened and heard only the flutter of birds' wings. "Can you hear anything?" I asked.

Sakura looked from me back out the window. Her eyes moved like she was following something. "No," she said. "she's quiet."

"You can see her walking in the street?" I clarified.

"Yes."

"Is she leaving footprints?"

Sakura frowned, then her hand flew to cover her mouth. "No!"

I leaned forward, looking her in the eyes. She was coherent, and she was speaking in complete sentences, so I doubted she was sleep walking. I wanted to try one last thing.

"Sakura, can you see the yellow birds?" I asked. I knew when some people were half asleep, you could manipulate their dreams by suggesting things.

Her face scrunched in confusion. "No, the birds are black."

I sighed. "You're right. I was trying to make sure you weren't dreaming." I ran a hand down my face and tried to keep my mind open. Something magical must be happening, but the woman would be leaving footprints if she were just invisible. This didn't make sense. Magic didn't make sense. There were no rules for me to work with. I couldn't apply logic to something that's nature was to defy it.

"Oh," Sakura gasped, "she's gone!" The street only held snow now. Even the birds were gone. "Should we go look for her?"

My eyebrows rose in surprise. "Why?"

"What if she's taking the children?"

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. I couldn't go out. I'd leave footprints in the snow, which would bring accusations in the morning, especially if a child did vanish.

I shook my head. "It's not a good idea to go after her. I can't see her, you don't know where she is now, it's the middle of the night, and the townspeople don't trust us. We should talk to Fai about this tomorrow. He might have some insight."

Sakura nodded, but she fiddled with the fabric of her skirt.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Is— " She frowned. "If you couldn't see her, does that mean she was a dream?"

"Maybe." I shrugged. "But magic seems to react strangely around me."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh, right. You weren't around for most of it. In Koryo, we had to get into the Ryanban's castle, but there was a magical barrier around it. We made a deal with Yuuko to get a magic orb that would break the barrier. Syaoran was able hold the orb without any problem, but when I touched it, it burned me. Then, later, when we fought with a witch, she used magic acid to attack us. It hurt the others badly, but it didn't work on me. So," I nodded to the window, "if the princess is magical, I could be unable to see her."

"That's strange," Sakura said.

I nodded, reaching up the close the window, cutting off the cold air, and relocking it. I sat back on my bed, setting my elbow on my knee and resting my head in my hand as I watched the street.

"So should we go back to bed until morning?" Sakura asked, sitting on her bed.

"Nothing else to do," I said.

She nodded and crawled beneath her covers. After several minutes passed I thought Sakura had fallen back asleep, until she spoke. "Are you going to sleep?"

"No," I said.

"Are you sure?" she asked, "I mean, you looked very tired last night, at Chu'Nyan's house. If that was last night. I'm not sure how long it's been anymore."

"I was," I said, "but I don't need to sleep as often as most people." That might have been a lie. I wasn't sure if The System reduced my need for sleep, or if I'd inadvertently conditioned myself to ignore sleep deprivation.

Wait, Sakura had noticed I was tired? When I woke up in Koryo, I found a blanket draped across me that hadn't been there when I'd fallen asleep. "Sakura, were you the one who gave me a blanket?"

"Yes," she said, "I thought you might be cold."

"Hmm," I said. "Thanks." The word came out stiffer than I'd intended. She'd reminded me of Nathaniel, when he would sit next to me on the nights I couldn't sleep.

Sakura gave me a warm smile before rolling over and pulling her covers up. After a few minutes her breathing slowed along with her heartbeat. This time she was really asleep.

A tap drew my attention to the window. A crow perched on the windowsill, it's head tilted and eye glinting as it peered in at me. It watched me for a few seconds before it flew from the window and into the night sky.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** This is the updated version of chapter 9. (2/20/18) And with that, I've finished revising this fic! Please look forward to a new chapter soon.

 **Two years ago:**

Raiten was illusive the week after Adrian's offer. In the glimpses I'd gotten of him, he'd been walking briskly to some other part of the Facility. But a few times, I caught his gaze before he looked away and ran off.

It grated on me. He should approach me with an offer, or stop watching me. I wanted him to make a decision so we could all get this over with. I didn't care if I had to kill him, but I still didn't know what Adrian wanted. I knew the deadline to figure it out was the meeting with the Rane of Synia.

I wanted to know what Adrian's plan was, to have some control. But I also wanted to stop caring, to just let Adrian do all the thinking. After he'd discovered the ID chip, and our talk in the training room, I kept running through my options and ending with shot nerves and a headache.

So when Raiten showed up on the floor only Adrian, Nathaniel, and I could access, I was already frustrated.

I'd just said goodnight to Nathaniel and left for the shooting range. The morning after Adrian discovered the ID chip, I'd asked Nathaniel if anything strange had happened, but he said he hadn't noticed anything. So I'd hidden what happened from Nathaniel. He didn't need to know. He was afraid of Adrian already and he almost never saw the man. As the door closed behind me, the ring of the elevator echoed down the hall.

Frowning, I quickened my steps. I hadn't called the elevator, which meant Adrian was visiting, but he rarely came here. Footsteps echoed on tile, too fast to be Adrian's. I rounded the corner.

I stopped as Raiten froze, our eyes meeting. He held a small metal box. A blinking screen took up most of the front of the device with rows of buttons beneath. On the side between Raiten's fingers was a row of ports.

"You don't have clearance for this floor," I said, my voice cold. Raiten shouldn't be here. Even if he didn't know of Nathaniel's existence, this was too close. If he didn't have a satisfactory explanation, I'd kill him.

Raiten took a deep breath and slipped the device into his pocket. "I have special permission. Don't worry about it." He took a step forward.

I set myself in his path. "That wasn't a question," I said, dropping any civility.

Raiten's composure cracked as he tried covering a wince. "Alice, as your superior, I order you to stand aside."

He still thought I was a machine. He'd expected me to back off with his order. "I don't have a rank," I snapped, "but I'm more important to Adrian than you." I raised my voice. "Computer: lockdown the floor."

"Lockdown confirmed, Alice," the sterile voice of the AI system replied. Bolts snapped into place behind the elevator and other doors.

Raiten spun toward the elevator before turning back to me. "What are you doing? I'm Director Raiten! Why aren't you following commands?"

"I know who you are, Raiten. And I'm not going to obey you." I took another step closer. "How did you get to this floor?"

Raiten ignored me, pulling the device from his pocket and jabbing several buttons. When he looked up, I had my handgun leveled at his head.

"You should start talking." I wasn't going to warn him again.

"You're not a machine," he said, his face slack in realization.

"No."

His eyes widened as he focused on the gun and paled. He understood the situation now. "I used this." He waved the box.

"Throw it to me," I said, gesturing with my free hand. He hesitated, but tossed me the box. I glanced at it, unable to decipher its purpose, before tucking in my back pocket. I'd give it to Adrian later.

"Why are you here?" I asked. Raiten slowly raised his hands.

"I was looking for you." He glanced to the door behind me. If he'd been looking for me, he wouldn't have tried to pass me. So he'd been looking for whatever device he thought I responded to. He'd assumed I operated on a system with a mother computer sending signals to the drones.

"You were going to try hacking me."

He nodded, lowering his hands an inch and looking me over with confusion. "What are you?"

"A human. I was born like you."

"But you're a kid." Raiten grimaced. "Shit, you were announced five years ago." His face contorted as his did the math. Adrian had introduced me as Alice to the rest of Elpedite five years ago to roaring applause. I'd been twelve at the time.

"What did he do, brainwash you?"

I snorted, now certain that Raiten was a Yetz infiltrator. It was dangerous to talk about Adrian like that. "No, I hate Adrian."

Raiten's eyebrows rose and his hands lowered a few more inches. He was silent for a moment and I watched thoughts flicker behind his eyes. "If you hate him, then help me."

Frowning, I remained silent, my aim unwavering. I didn't know if I should shoot him or follow Adrian's instructions and make some kind of deal with him. My first thought was to shoot him just to upset Adrian's plans, or at least annoy him. It would be justified, considering he'd made it to this floor, and Adrian told me to use my own judgment. But that wouldn't accomplish anything. Adrian had said I could start earning more freedoms if I committed to working for him. Might as well start here.

Raiten stiffened as I considered him, his heart-rate rising as his gaze darted around the hall, looking for an out.

"Help you how?" I asked, lowering my gun, but not holstering it.

Raiten took a deep breath, letting his arms drop. "During the meeting between Adrian and Synia's Rane this week. The original plan was to use you to assassinate the both of them, then steal you." I frowned. "But if you're a person, then you can help me and we can escape to Yetz. If you hate Adrian, why stay?"

The plan was doable. Raiten suggested there were people waiting to whisk us back to Yetz, which covered our escape. And we were both scheduled to be in the room, so infiltration wasn't a problem.

But Raiten didn't know that Adrian had his own System, even better than my own. The moment Raiten reached for his gun, Adrian would plant a knife in his neck.

And I was a weapon. Machine or human, it didn't matter. The Yetz wouldn't let me go. I was too valuable, too dangerous. Even so, I'd play along.

"Your people can get us out?" I asked.

"Yes." Raiten sighed, his shoulders sagging. "we'll have several hovercrafts outside the building, ready to go."

"What would I do?"

"During the meeting I'd signal you. I would shoot Adrian and the Rane, you would remove the other members of security. Then we run."

"All right. But one change," I said, "I kill Adrian. There will only be two other security members in the room. I can get those two and Adrian in less than a second." The demand was a mixture of genuine malice and a calculated claim. I'd negotiate responsibility for Adrian's safety, which he'd approve of, and I wouldn't seem suspiciously easy to recruit.

"That's fine," Raiten said. This must seem like an amazing turnabout. A moment ago, I was about to kill him, but now he was alive and had my allegiance.

"But," Raiten pointed to my pocket that contained his box, "can I have that back?"

"No," I said. "I don't want you coming back here. That and the elevator to this floor is monitored. Someone may have noticed your interference, so I'm going to have to erase those records." That was a lie. The elevator was monitored, but after I told Adrian what happened he'd dismiss any alerts. I holstered my gun and grabbed his elbow, marching him to the elevator.

"You'll need it to erase the records?" he said it like a half statement, half question, so the box must have the capability.

"Yes," I lied. "Computer: Release lockdown and call elevator."

"Confirmed, Alice." The elevator doors unlocked with a click before sliding open.

Raiten stepped inside and I braced an arm against the door. "If you need to talk to me, find me after training. But don't come back here, or our deal's off."

Raiten gave me a solemn nod and I stepped away. The doors slid shut.

I'd followed Adrian's orders. I had Raiten's trust and his plan. Now I had to deliver the news to Adrian. I grit my teeth and after a few minutes, called the elevator. I still didn't want to report to Adrian when I didn't know his plan. But if I concealed this, he would kill me. Because Adrian would find out, like he had with the ID chip, and he wouldn't tolerate another betrayal.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"That's perfect. Nice work," Adrian said, smirking.

"Perfect?" I said. "He broke onto my floor and wants to kill you. He never should have gotten this far into your ranks."

Adrian raised an eyebrow, his smirk growing. I waited a moment for him to speak, but he didn't.

"Fine. Then what am I supposed to do now?" I followed Adrian's logic so far. He'd invited Raiten to the meeting to catalyze Raiten's plans and reveal his intentions. He'd done that by speaking to me. Now I'd have to kill him.

"Nothing for now," he shrugged. "I'll have more instructions for you the day of the meeting, but until then, don't worry about it."

"What? He's an _assassin_. If I'm not going kill him, who is?" Why wouldn't I be the one to kill him? I hadn't killed anyone in the Facility before, but only because it hadn't been necessary. Now that it was, I couldn't think of a reason to hesitate.

Adrian gave me an amused stare.

"What do you want?" I asked, my calm tone slipping into a growl.

Adrian sighed. "If you're trying to discern something and are at an impasse, ask a different question."

I was asking plenty of questions. "What question?"

Adrian laughed. "Not that one." He pushed off from his desk and walked back around it. "Go do whatever you feel like for now. Update me if Raiten's plan changes."

It was a dismissal. I rose from my chair and strode out of the office, fists clenched. He wouldn't tell me anything, and I couldn't figure this out. I smashed the button for the elevator. Time would keep barreling on like always and eventually punch me in the gut.

The elevator arrived as my anger drained away, bled off by the future's inevitability. As I descended, I tried to convince myself that I didn't care what Adrian did. I couldn't stop it and someone would probably die, but people were always dying. This time it still wouldn't be me or Nathaniel, so I didn't care.

I'd follow Adrian's directions and stop caring about the consequences. Adrian would keep his war machine of a country running. The same country that hadn't blinked when my family vanished, or when Adrian announced a new weapon that looked like a twelve-year-old girl.

The meeting was in three days.

Two of the most powerful people in the world would be in the same room as an assassin.

And I didn't care.

 **Present**

"Good morning." Fai waved as he entered the hall. I nodded in return, pulling my attention from the window and town outside. Even after the sun came up, I'd watched the streets, wondering what had happened last night.

After the woman Sakura saw vanished, the rest of the night had been quiet. As dawn approached, I'd slipped into the hall to wait for the others to wake. I'd been trying and failing to tie my neckerchief when Fai arrived.

Fai leaned against the railing opposite me. "Did you and the princess sleep well?"

"Actually," I said, "Sakura saw someone last night. A woman that looked like the princess of legend walking down the street, but I couldn't see her."

Fai's eyebrows shot up. "Well, that's certainly something."

I nodded. "She didn't leave footprints in the snow, and I couldn't hear anyone. There has to be magic involved, right?"

"There could be. Are you sure it wasn't a dream?"

"Positive."

Fai glanced at the door to Sakura's room. "I'm not sure what it could have been, exactly. We can talk with Sakura-chan when she wakes."

"All right," I said, undoing my neckerchief's knot again, resisting the urge to tear it off and fling it out the window.

Fai glanced out the window. "You said there are some techniques to find out what's happening here. What are they?"

"It's hard to know before I look around," I said, glaring at the houses of the town. "It's more about how you look at things and what they mean. I know there are tests that can be done, but I don't have the knowledge or materials."

"Then what will you be looking for?"

I frowned. "Fingerprints. If I can find a set that's consistent between the homes of the missing kids, that would point to a good suspect. Same with shoeprints." The townsfolk hadn't mentioned any signs of violence, just that the children vanished, so I probably wouldn't find and blood or weapons. Hopefully that meant the children were alive. If I could test for DNA, this would be easy, but that wasn't possible here.

Fai raised an eyebrow. "Why are fingerprints so important?"

"They're unique to each person. No one has the same fingerprints as someone else."

"Hmm," Fai said, inspecting his fingertips. "Will you be able to tell if the children are alive?"

I shook my head. "I don't know what the motive could be." I knew they were probably dead. Most missing children who weren't found within forty-eight hours were either found dead or never found at all. And anyone who didn't make it into a warm building for the night would freeze to death here.

But I'd gone missing, and I was alive. I wouldn't give up until I was sure they were dead. And if they were alive, I'd find them and Nathaniel and take them home.

I tied the finishing knot in my neckerchief, pulling it tight.

"Well," Fai said, "no one has mentioned any signs of violence, so besides their disappearance, there's no sign they've been harmed." Fai voice dropped to a sympathetic tone. "So there's no evidence that your brother's been hurt."

I glared at the floorboards. "Right," I said, sharper than I'd intended. But Fai didn't seem to mind, flashing me a smile and letting the conversation drop.

As time flowed by, Kurogane, Syaoran, and finally Sakura emerged from their rooms. Sakura cradled Mokona as she entered. "Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning Sakura-chan," Fai said. Kurogane grunted a greeting.

Syaoran bowed. "Good morning, Your Highness."

"All right," I said, turning to Sakura. "We need to talk about what you saw."

Syaoran frowned, glancing between us. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Sakura said. "Well, I'm not sure. I saw a woman in the street last night. She had long gold hair, like the princess in the legend."

I crossed my arms. "But I couldn't see her and she wasn't leaving footprints."

"Sakura-chan, did you notice anything else strange about her?" Fai asked.

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. "Her hair was strange, like it was floating." I was surprised she hadn't mentioned that last night, but I suppose a detail like that would be overshadowed the other circumstances.

Fai tilted his head back in thought and opened his mouth, but before he could speak, a woman's cry cut him off. "My child!"

We all turned to the window. The woman stumbled into the street as the townsfolk materialized from their houses. The man who'd led the town militia ran to her.

"She's gone!" the woman sobbed as the man took her hand. "I can't find her. She's gone!" She clutched something to her chest with her free hand. It was a stuffed toy cat. The same one that the girl with the corkscrew pigtails had been holding.

I grimaced. Leaving the window, we headed out of the inn and into the muttering townsfolk. I knew they would be suspicious of us, and I braced for it. But the whirl of whispers surrounding us, so many I could only pluck out a word here and there, buffeted against my calm.

The militia leader put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Someone broke in?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "The window was opened from the inside. But I told her not to touch the locks. It must have been the golden-haired princess!"

Sakura looked to me, her eyes wide. "It was her!"

"Her?" I winced as the man spun on us. "What do you mean by that?" He marched towards us, glaring at Sakura. But Syaoran set himself between them, leveling a hard stare at the man.

Sakura took a small step to the side, so she could see the man past Syaoran. "Last night, I saw a woman in a flowing white dress and golden hair walking the street." The whispers around us turned to gasps and a few sobs.

"It's the princess!"

"The curse!"

"—northern castle."

The mayor and Mr. Grosum arrived, Mr. Grosum's stride parting the crowd as he came to stand in front of us. Kyle appeared in the same moment, running through the mob.

A flicker of confusion broke my thoughts, and it took me a moment to place it. Where had Kyle been this morning? I hadn't heard anyone else in the inn besides us. I filed away the thought as Mr. Grosum spoke.

"Calm down," he bellowed and the crowd's shouting subsided to quiet muttering.

Kyle ran to Mr. Grosum, out of breath. "Another child vanished?"

"Yes," Mr. Grosum snapped before turning his glare on us. "Where were these people last night?"

"They stayed in the inn all night. My room is next to the door; I would've heard them leave." My eyes widened in surprise for a fraction of a second. But forced my expression back to calm neutrality before anyone saw.

That was a lie. When we'd left, I hadn't heard anyone in that room. Maybe he'd stepped out for a few minutes for an innocent reason, but it seemed like a strange coincidence.

The mayor sighed, his back slumping even more. "People," he addressed everyone, "we're doing no good here. We should start searching." The people hesitated, passing hopeless glances around. Then they dissipated into the town, either wandering the streets or venturing into the woods, the mayor and Mr. Grosum among them.

Kyle gave us an apologetic smile. "Shall we head back to my home? I'm sure you'd all like some breakfast."

"Actually," I said, "I'm going to speak to the mother of the missing child." I wasn't hungry, and didn't want to waste time.

"Are you sure, Alec?" Kyle asked.

I nodded. "I'll return when I'm done, but don't wait for me." I directed the last part to the others.

Fai turned to the inn, grabbing Kurogane by the shoulder. "It'll be fun to watch Kuro-pu try to use a fork again."

Kurogane snarled and jerked his shoulder from the man's hand, but followed him and Kyle. As Syaoran passed me, I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Don't trust Kyle."

Syaoran frowned and glanced at the man. "Why?"

"He wasn't at the inn this morning, so he can't alibi us for that time. He just lied to us. And the town." Syaoran's eyebrows flew up. "Tell the others once you're alone, and don't let Kyle know we're suspicious."

Syaoran nodded. "I thought we could ask him about the town's history of the legend and investigate where that led."

"Good idea. I may be gone a while. I'll catch up if I need to." I dropped my hand from his shoulder and stepped away.

Syaoran half turned away and raised a hand. "Good luck."

I waved in return and trudged through the snow. As I passed them, some of the townsfolk glared at me or avoided my gaze. I spotted the mother of the missing child, two other women at her side comforted her.

The woman didn't notice my approach, but her friends stiffened. "Excuse me," I said, bracing myself, "I think I can help."

A fire flared behind the eyes of the woman's companion and she stepped toward me, half hiding her crying friend. "Go back to the inn and stay away if you want to help."

I stood firm, but kept my stance relaxed, inoffensive. I wouldn't try to prove myself trustworthy. They had no reason to believe me and I had no proof. But I could prove myself _useful_.

"My father was a detective," I lied. "He taught me some of his work. If you let me look around, I could find something that could lead us to the children." I directed the last part to the mother. She'd quieted as I spoke, looking at the stuffed cat in her hands.

Her friend opened her mouth to speak. From her expression I guessed she'd tell me to leave again, but the mother spoke first. "You could find Amelia?" The friend glanced between me and the woman with a frown, before she sighed and stepped back, letting her address me directly.

"I might," I said. "I can't promise."

The mother watched me for a moment, her watery gaze holding mine immobile. "Fine," she said, "do as you like. I suppose there's nothing left to lose."

"Thank you," I said. I didn't know if she believed me, or was too drained to care. Before I could step away the woman's friend seized my arm.

"No," she said, "I'm not letting you go through her house without supervision." She looked over my shoulder. "James!"

I turned to see the militia leader look our way. When he saw me, his expression darkened to a glare.

"Is he bothering you?" James asked as he approached.

"He wants to look in Rebecca's house. She gave him permission, but I don't want him in there alone."

"Rebecca," James said, "you don't need to do that. I'll take care of him." James gripped my shoulder, wrinkling the fabric of my coat. I beat down the urge to throw him off. I'd try diplomacy, but if he got in the way of finding my brother, I'd move him.

"It's fine, James," Rebecca said, straightening. "There no more harm to be done, and if there's any chance to find Amelia, I'll take it. But it would be comforting if you accompanied him." She addressed me. "Please go. Tell me if you find anything, but if not, don't come back."

I nodded and James released his grip. "Thank you," I said.

"Come on," James snapped. I followed him to Rebecca's house. James stepped aside but leveled a finger at me. "Don't steal anything, don't break anything, and don't leave my sight."

"Understood." I tried to stay polite. He was irritating, but his response was understandable. As long as he didn't get in my way, his distrust was fine.

The front door was ajar, left open in the woman's hysteria. Rebecca said her daughter must have unlocked a window, but I wasn't sure. Rebecca had been in a panic, so she could've made assumptions.

I pushed the door open and scanned the ground, letting my bangs fall to hide the light of The System in my eyes, and used The System to highlight the shoeprints in the dried snowmelt on the floor. One was small, Amelia's, and a larger print half that must have been Rebecca's. Carefully, I walked in. I saved the two sets to The System and started comparing them with other tracks.

James shut the door behind us. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for shoeprints." I raised my head when I'd checked them all. The fireplace was dark. On the left was a small wooden table and chairs, dented and scratched from use. Against the right wall was a rocking chair, hung with blankets, and beyond that, a hallway.

So shoeprints wouldn't work. Time to see about fingerprints. If I identified Rebecca and Amelia's fingerprints, then any others would be suspect.

I knelt before the fireplace and found a flaking piece of charcoal. Leaving my gloves on, I crushed the charcoal into powder. Now, what items would Rebecca and Amelia touch exclusively?

"Now what are you doing?" James asked, glaring at the charcoal dust.

"Looking for fingerprints. Their patterns are unique to each person and you'll leave an imprint of them on anything you touch. If I can rule out Rebecca's and Amelia's, then I can find the suspects."

James squinted at his fingers, then glanced back up at me with the smallest spark of interest in his gaze. "Rebecca doesn't let Amelia tend the fire."

I found a poker leaning against the fireplace. Gripping it under the handle, I brought it to the window. James watched as I dusted the charcoal over the handle. I rotated the poker, covering the handle completely, before hitting the rod to knock off any excess powder.

The cloud cover that hung over the town when we'd arrived had yet to lift, so the light was poor. But I was able to see prints, some smeared and some layered on top of each other. With The System highlighting the lines of each print, I was able to find three. I saved them.

I glanced back to see James's gaze flicking between the handle and his own hand, that spark of interest burning brighter.

"I've found three prints," I said. James held out his hand and I gave him the poker.

"I can see some, but this is a mess," James said. "How can you find them?"

"Practice," I lied. "Is there anything else only Rebecca touched?"

James sighed, the aggressive set in his shoulders slumping. "Maybe the knives in the kitchen."

We repeated the same process with the knives, which yielded four more prints. After that, the latches on the door too high up for Amelia to reach completed a set of ten. The System displayed them in my vision, there were some smeared areas, but they would work.

Then I set to work on Amelia's prints. I found a hairbrush on her dresser and James suggested I try the dresser handles. During out search, I found Amelia's shoes and took the opportunity to confirm the footprints in the doorway were hers. After dusting her hairbrush, dresser, and finally the candleholder next to her bed, I had all of Amelia's fingerprints.

"All right," I said, "which window did Amelia supposedly use to leave?"

"Here," James said, pointing to a window. A chair was pulled up next to it and it hung open.

I sprinkled the remaining soot onto the window's latch and blew away the excess. The smears of old fingerprints were overlapped by one new pattern. The System traced the print and matched it to Amelia.

"It's Amelia's."

"We already knew that."

"No. We suspected it." I leaned out the window, careful not to touch the frame. The sheet of snow under the window was uneven, but I need a different angle to get a better look. "Hmm. I need to go outside."

I paced through the house, giving everything a final examination before deciding there was nothing left I could find. I stepped out the door, clapping the remaining soot from my hands.

I crunched through the snow around the side of the house. I used The System to analyze the plane of the ground. Under the window, indents in the snow's surface lead away from the house and into the street. They were what remained of footprints. The storm had filled them in, but given what was left, they'd probably been made around two in the morning.

I rubbed my eyes and sighed. I should have slept last night. Amelia had opened the window, that was undeniable. Her mother wouldn't have let her touch the locks. But if she opened the window against her mother's wishes, that would mean there was someone else she trusted asking her to come outside.

But those tracks were alone in the snow. And Amelia had left her shoes.

Someone had asked her to open the window, and she had. Then they'd either picked her up and walked away, or Amelia had left to meet someone. The fact she hadn't yelled solidified my theory that she'd trusted them.

I glanced at James. This wouldn't go well. "James," I nodded to the tracks, "who do the children trust?" I hoped he would understand what I meant, that he wouldn't lose his temper, and, mostly, that he wasn't the culprit.

James glared from me to the impressions. "No one in Spirit would do this."

I turned to face him and put on the same voice I used when I had to recount a mission: empty. He needed to understand the situation, and the children didn't have time for his denial, so I had to be cold. "There's no forced entry. No sign of a struggle. She didn't yell, and she undeniably opened that window. Why, when her mother told her not to? Because some she trusted asked her to."

James's face reddened as his jaw clenched. I could tell he wasn't sure what to do or say. I'd made him angry, but he couldn't refute my words.

"I want to find my brother," I said, trying to gain back the spark of trust I'd earned. "Let me help."

James's rage boiled back down to irritation as he let out a steaming breath. "I don't know."

"What about Mr. Grosum or the mayor?" I wanted to include Kyle in the list, but he was well liked and I didn't want to destroy his cooperation, so I'd ask about him like an afterthought. I wouldn't ask about James himself. He seemed too gruff to be well-liked by children, and I didn't want to anger him.

James shook his head. "They're not around often enough."

"What about Kyle?" I asked.

"Of course the children trust him. But he's been supporting everyone as best he can, visiting the friends and family of the missing. And he stuck up for you. If he was responsible, it would be easier for him to blame you, not defend you."

"Right," I said. But it would also make him look like a naïve, goodhearted man. "Thanks," I turned back to the street. "I'll go back to Kyle's inn for now."

"Fine," James said, giving me one last glare before he vanished from view.

Tugging off my blackened gloves, I shoved them and my hands into my pockets. I smirked, allowing myself a moment to glare at the snow. I had a direction now.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I shut the door on the final room. It was empty, like the rest of the inn. I'd expected the others to be gone—Syaoran was still looking for Sakura's feather—but Kyle wasn't here either.

Stopping in the middle of the foyer, I crossed my arms. What was I looking for? Weapons? I didn't have any unknown prints from Rebecca's house to compare here. I didn't know if the kids were alive or dead, both of which would leave different kinds of evidence. I understood the town's lack of progress now: there wasn't enough information, and this world didn't have the technology to compensate.

Adrian's voice came floating to mind. "Ask a different question." I could almost see him watching me with a smirk, waiting to see what I'd do. I hadn't understood what he meant then, but I might now.

"Reevaluate," I muttered. I was thinking from my perspective. I needed to change that. Reverse it.

 _If Kyle wanted to hide something, where would he put it?_ That was the better question.

He'd let us pick our rooms, so any guest room was out. Same with the foyer. But I hadn't seen the kitchen or Kyle's room.

I'd check Kyle's room first. The door to his room was unlocked, and after I'd entered I left it open. Since his room was by the front door, if he came home I would have to get out fast. I'd have three to five seconds warning if I could hear him coming.

Kyle's room was sparser than I'd expected. A made bed stood in the corner. The desk next to the bed had a stack of books and some papers. A wardrobe dominated the left wall.

I reached into my coat and retrieved my gloves, the ones from my world, and slipped them on. I opened the wardrobe, sweeping aside the hanging coats and inspecting the corners. Aside from the coats, there was a pair of shoes. I inspected the soles and saved the pattern in The System before putting them back. There wasn't anything else of interest, so I moved onto the desk.

As I searched, I replaced everything as I'd found it. The books and paper were in the same writing that had been on the town's sign, so I couldn't read them. I briefly flipped through each, and finding nothing of interest, replaced them. But in one of the drawers, I found a stack of three papers that looked different. They were yellowed, and while most of the other papers had tight, curved handwriting, this one had large looping curls that occasionally spiked before weaving back into the script. Underneath them were two more regular sheets with Kyle's handwriting, formatted like a list.

I pondered them, trying to retrieve some information or decide if I could steal them and show them to Syaoran later. The sound of muffled voices broke me from my thoughts. I recognized the other's voices and Kyle's.

I shoved the papers into the drawer and slammed it shut. I yanked off my gloves, shoved them into my coat and burst from Kyle's room as the front door swung open.

As Fai swung the door open, we made eye contact. Fai's expression flickered with surprise for half a second before his smile returned. He hadn't opened the door all the way when he stopped and turned to look back in one smooth movement. He said something, but I didn't hear what it was. I'd already pulled the door to Kyle's room shut and flown up the stairs without a sound.

Shutting the door to me and Sakura's room I breathed a long sigh. Even with The System, I hadn't heard them soon enough. If Fai hadn't blocked Kyle's view, I would've been caught. I leaned back against the door and listened.

The scuff of shoes on wood and Kurogane growling something under his breath filtered through the door. "Do you have to make house calls often?" Syaoran asked.

"Well," Kyle said, "I have to more and more lately. When the disappearances first started, I wasn't needed as much. But now that it's been going on for so long, and we still have no answers, everyone is afraid. Especially the children." I frowned. What kind of doctor was Kyle? I'd assumed a medical one, but now he sounded more like a psychologist. Was there any distinction here? "Ah, where is Alec? I thought he would've returned by now."

"He may be resting upstairs," Fai said. "He mentioned not sleeping well last night. I'll go check." It was a good excuse. And, incidentally, somewhat true. I was tired, and I didn't want to sleep tonight, so now might be the best time to rest. The others' voices lowered as a single pair of footfalls moved up the stairs. I pushed off of the door before Fai opened it and stepped inside.

"How did your search go?" I whispered.

Fai propped his hands on his hips. "It was . . . interesting. Syaoran was able to borrow a book from the mayor. It has the legend on record, so that's better than the scraps of gossip we've been working with. Also," he grinned, "the castle in the legend still exists. The ruins are a ways north. We went looking around there."

I crossed my arms. "Good. Did you find anything in the castle?"

"Well, we couldn't get inside." I raised an eyebrow as Fai continued. "There was a river in front of the castle. It was too dangerous to cross, so that was a dead end. But we did see Mr. Grosum."

"What was he doing?" I'd dismissed Mr. Grosum, thinking he was to stern to earn the trust of the kids, but it was strange that he'd be there. Maybe I should keep him in mind, and go check out the castle myself.

"Just looking, I think. He wandered away shortly before we left. Did you find anything?"

I sighed. "Nothing concrete. But Kyle has a lot of coincidences hanging around him. I know Amelia opened the window willingly, so whoever wanted her outside was someone she trusted. Kyles on list of people and he wasn't here this morning."

Fai's eyebrows rose. "Is that why you told Syaoran we should be cautious of him?"

I nodded. "He wasn't in his room this morning, when we left."

"Hm. Well, we can reconvene tonight." Fai pointed a thumb over his shoulder to the door. "So, do you intend to be asleep or awake for our story?"

"I'm going to sleep for now," I decided. I wanted to keep watch again tonight, and going another night without sleep wasn't a good idea.

"Sleep well then," Fai said, slipping out the door with a wave.

I shrugged off my coat and threw it onto the foot of my bed before laying down. The muffled voices from downstairs almost disappeared as I lowered my hearing back to normal. My thoughts bit and snarled at each other. Was Kyle responsible? He was trustworthy in the town's standing, but even so, why would the kids listen to him and ignore their parent's warnings? And dead or alive, twenty kids had vanished completely.

I rolled over and sighed, kicking my thoughts away. I couldn't figure anything out right now. I closed my eyes.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So the doctor could be the culprit, huh?" Kurogane asked, before swatting Mokona off his bed with a pillow. The creature bounced back onto the blankets a second later, giggling. Syaoran stood in the corner, flipping through a book. On the other bed, Sakura sat and watched Mokona with a smile. Across from her Fai leaned against the bed frame.

"He's my best guess right now," I said. "Do you guys suspect anyone?"

"Mr. Grosum was at the castle," Sakura said.

"Which is strange," I said. "We should keep him in mind, but I don't think the children would trust him."

Fai nodded, a trace of a smirk on his face. "Mr. Grosum's like Kuro-pin: their faces are a bit too scary for the kids." Kurogane glared at him and Fai snapped his fingers, pointing at him. "Like that!"

"I'll keep watch tonight," I said. "If Kyle is responsible, he'll have to leave the inn, and we'll tail him. If he's not, then we'll follow the children and whoever is with them."

"That's a good idea," Syaoran said, looking up from his book, "but if we can't find anyone to follow tonight, and the townspeople find out we left . . . "

"Then we're back to being the town's scapegoats," Fai said, blocking a flying pillow aimed for his head.

"Right," I said, frowning at the snowflakes outside. If we left, Kyle would notice. If he was the culprit, that would keep him inactive, and if he wasn't, he'd inform the town. And our footprints in the snow would be his proof.

Sakura crossed the room to the window. She unlatched it, letting in a gust of winter air.

"Princess?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura leaned out of the window and twisted to look back up at the inn. After a moment her face lit up and she withdrew back into the room. "What about the roof?"

"The roof?" I echoed. "Oh." I joined her at the window. The roof of the inn had gentle slants to it, and during the night, it would be hidden by the dark. There was still snow. Someone might see the footprints, but if I could get the snow to slide off, then it wouldn't be an issue.

I turned to Sakura. "This will work." She smiled. "If I see anything, I'll knock on whoever's window is closest. Then we can move." I checked the street and, finding it empty, jumped up onto the windowsill. Gripping the frame for balance, I stood. I reached up and hoisted myself onto the roof.

Straightening, I turned to examine my outlook. Some of the streets were concealed by houses, but anyone sneaking through town would have to come into view. I couldn't help a cold smile as the wind tore away the steam of my breath. Tonight, I'd find who had my brother. And when I did, I'd fall on them like a lion, with fangs bared and claws ready to tear.


End file.
